People say that there's an “epidemic” in the works, but not the infectious disease kind. Instead, it’s swarms of preteens flooding Sephora stores across the country, ravaging makeup and skincare displays for Drunk Elephant and Rare Beauty products that some experts argue are not suitable for children. 

Videos of young girls crowding Sephora aisles with baskets carrying hundreds of dollars worth of products have dominated TikTok for several weeks. People say the store looks like an elementary school for the beauty-obsessed 10-year-olds, some of whom have been caught treating employees poorly and destroying displays.

Nannies have chimed in with stories of parents giving them unlimited budgets to take their kids makeup shopping, a “humbling and embarrassing” experience, one noted on TikTok, wondering “when do we say enough is enough when it’s not our problem to say enough is enough?”

But can we blame them? Preteens are bombarded with influencer-sponsored advertisements and step-by-step tutorials for makeup and skincare products unlike generations past; communication with friends is often on camera or via social media; and age-appropriate resources are becoming scarce for young girls who don’t want to be treated like kids yet have barely entered adolescence. 

The result, mental health experts say, is a generation of children with unprecedented levels of anxiety and self-esteem issues. 

“Social media influencers are expanding their target group, so there’s a lot of pressure for kids to fit in and figure out what’s trending to feel connected with their friends much earlier than they need to be feeling that,” said Sonia Rodrigues, psychotherapist and senior director of Child and Adolescent Services with Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care in New Jersey. 

Parents of the “Sephora 10-year-olds” are conflicted 

Jenjit Howard, a mother of four daughters from Georgia, said that her 6-year-old likes to watch makeup tutorials on TikTok and gravitates toward colorful products in the store, thinking they’re for kids. This week her daughter walked downstairs with “gold eyeshadow and silver lips,” which Howard made her take off before leaving the house. 

“I have mixed emotions about it. I feel like this younger generation, they learn faster, they get information faster, and it allows them to be … little experts in big spaces,” said Howard, adding that she would support her daughters if they wanted to become “mini influencers.” “I don't want to limit [my kids’] creativity, but there is a very fine line between maturing them before their time and investing in their interest.”

Although Howard limits her 6-year-old to colorless lip gloss, she still wants to give her the opportunity to feel excited about makeup. “I also want them to understand that as you get older, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy these things,” Howard said. “It’s a tough message to relay to kids when I myself love going into the makeup store and buying everything I touch.”

Context is key in these scenarios, Rodrigues said. A 6-year-old wanting to play with makeup at home is one thing, but a 10-year-old asking to wear red lipstick to school is another. Not to mention hobbies that involve makeup like dancing, cheerleading and theater may confuse some kids about when it’s appropriate to wear or buy makeup. 

“Like with anything, it's important to make sure that every child has the ability to comprehend the choices they're making and the impact of those choices,” Rodrigues said. “It’s also important for parents to look at their kids’ maturity level and think about what their child can handle.” 

Gloria Ross, 50, started taking her daughter to beauty stores when she was 11-years-old, but only to purchase products for her modeling gigs. Her daughter is almost 13 now, but Ross doesn’t allow her to wear makeup: “She puts a little stuff on her eyebrows and wears lip gloss. When she models, she does like to have [makeup] on. But that's as far as it goes right now.”

'You do see little girls maturing faster'

The preteens years are an awkward phase of life, when Barbies may seem too childish and makeup, according to their parents, too mature. But it’s not their fault, Rodrigues said, because there aren’t enough age-appropriate resources for kids during these in-between years.

“It’s so hard to even find appropriate clothes for this age group, when developmentally, they’re just trying to figure out where they fit in,” Rodrigues said. “There’s a lot of identity issues happening in those preteen years.”

Even without social media, young kids are still exposed to makeup on TV; even dolls are painted with mascara and eyeliner. 

“I don't know if it's so much that we are robbing our children of their childhood versus we're trying to navigate a world that didn't exist for us when we were kids,” Howard said. “You do see little girls maturing faster, and so you try to protect that innocence, but there are limitations to it."

Rodrigues recommends talking to kids about their interest in makeup. Ask questions like: "Where did you hear about this?" "Why is this important to you?"

And as trends come and go, it’s important to stay flexible and adapt. 

“You're just constantly walking around trying to guide them, protect them, maintain that innocence as long as you can, understanding that ... they will still be exposed to a world that you cannot control," Howard said.