Swipe, shop, repeat. For gen alpha kids, the price of popularity is high. Their obsession with the trendiest new video games and skincare products is so severe than parents are facing a materialism crisis. A new study from HostingAdvice revealed that 70% of American parents with gen-alpha kids (ages 7-14) receive weekly requests from their kids to buy products online. As social media becomes more saturated with influencer product reviews, sponsored ads and TikTok shop links, children are developing severe shopping addictions.
In the same study, 65% of parents surveyed said the more time their children spend on social media, the more money they spend on them. The most popular items kids want to purchase online are fashion and beauty products along with video games. With the rise of the baffling “Sephora” kid phenomenon, it’s no surprise beauty products dominate social media advertisements.
Similarly, video games like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft remain popular among gen-alpha kids, especially because they are accessible on hand-held devices. Kids will beg for online currencies like Robux and V-Bucks from their parents, influenced by video game streamers they view online.
Some kids have even been sent to “rehab” for their Fortnite addictions.
Dr. Kelly Chu, a public relations and advertising professor from DePaul University in Chicago, has an extensive background in academic research surrounding social media and its influence on consumer behavior. She has been cited over 8,000 times in Google Scholar and wrote the most cited article of all time in the International Journal of Advertising.
Chu weighs in on the sociology behind these shopping addictions and social media.
“When young consumers are exposed to information on social media, the consumer socialization process begins,” she says. “Social comparison and peer pressure motivate them to ask their parents to purchase a product from social media, especially from YouTubers.”
Chu names the YouTube channel “Ryan’s World” as one of the most popular and influential social media accounts targeting kids as young as three and four years old. With over nine million YouTube subscribers, Ryan’s World focuses on kid influencer Ryan Kaji and his family as they document mystery toy unboxings and product reviews. The channel has become so popular than Kaji has his own line of toys at Target.
Many of Kaji’s videos depict him buying his own products in stores, going “undercover” to find his toy line at places like Walmart. Though kids are entranced by the challenges, what they don’t understand is the central focus of the video is to advertise and promote Kaji’s toys.
The obvious downside to mass consumption of shopping videos and social media posts is that kids want the first product they see, increasing their desire for new toys and beauty products without appreciating the ones they have. When parents give into this materialism, the problem only gets worse. Many of them take to TikTok to poke fun at how often their kids ask them to buy things like V-bucks.
Chu, who also has a concentration in social media and its influence on fashion and beauty, says this industry is particularly popular because it influences the self-esteem of young consumers.
“Beauty and fashion are a very special industry because these products are a way for consumers to express themselves,” she says. “Social media has become a great tool to promote makeup products because influencers and YouTubers can teach you how to use them. This is not something that can be done by TV or magazine ads.”
The more skincare and mall haul reviews young girls see, the more likely they are to want to embody the influencer’s life themselves.
When looking at lists of the most popular gen-alpha influencers right now, the majority of them are famous for clothing hauls, shopping sprees and luxury designer wear.
While social media makes skincare tutorials accessible, kids don’t realize these are marketing tactics employed by big name beauty brands to increase revenue by making them hyper-aware of beauty standards at such a young age.
When it comes to who is responsible for managing social media’s impact on childhood shopping addictions, the answers are blurry. Should it be the parents, social media apps or a higher power?
“It’s a controversial issue,” Chu says. “There are responsibilities among parents, advertisers and policy makers. Advertisers provide economic benefits to social media, but they also have a negative impact on materialism. On one hand, it’s definitely unethical because kids don’t know they’re watching advertisements and sponsored content. On the other hand, advertisers support social media and that’s why we can use it for free.”
Though Chu says parents should limit their kids screen time and policy makers should consider regulations on social media access for kids, she also doesn’t see the rise of shopping addictions influenced by social media minimizing anytime soon.
“I think it will still be there for a while as long as social media is still up,” she says. “It’s a wonderful and important way for people to communicate and socialize and I don’t see people minimizing it.”
Next time your kid asks you to buy them that $40 Sephora facial cleanse or $100 dollars’ worth of Robux, think about where their obsession for these products stems from. As parents, researching the content your kid is digesting and re-directing their online shopping addictions towards less expensive ways to have fun ensures a stronger sense of self and emotional intelligence. Don’t let TikTok break your bank!
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