Gen Alpha seems obsessed with expensive skincare — and millennial parents are getting the blame

• Gen Alpha has become a target of mockery among older generations. 
• They've been nicknamed "iPad kids" and derided for their "brainrot" sense of humor. 
• Now, they're being criticized for their a perceived obsession with luxury skincare. 

Most Gen Alpha children haven't even made it out of elementary school yet, but their older peers are already scrutinizing them.

Comprised of people aged predominantly under 13, Gen Alpha has become known online as the generation of children glued to their screens, which has saddled them with the unflattering moniker "iPad Kids."

Many Gen Alpha children have grown up with technology and are heavily influenced by meme culture. This has already incited online mockery, as some people have labeled Gen Alpha humor as "brainrot."

Now, there's a new trope that people have identified and are using as a way to dunk on Gen Alpha iPad kids and their parents — the "10-year-old girls in Sephora."

People are railing against Gen Alpha kids for a perceived obsession with expensive skincare

TikTok has been aware that younger children seem to be interested in expensive beauty and skincare products for some time now. But the narrative appears to have ramped up since the holidays, when some parents shared their kids' extravagant wishlists asking for pricey items, including skincare products.

Multiple users who say they have visited or are current or former employees at the beauty retailer Sephora have reported seeing young children behaving badly in the stores, causing general chaos, and being rude to staff.

Most of these videos are in the format of "storytimes," where users speak directly to the camera about something they say they've experienced. It's difficult to verify these stories or know how widespread the phenomenon really is compared to the potentially hyperbolic statements from creators such as claiming to see children "wrestling" in Sephora "every single time" they enter the store.

Still, the videos are gaining a lot of traction on the app, reinforcing potentially unfounded negative stereotypes about the generation.

Some users who have gone on long tirades about Gen Alpha children in Sephora stores are worried it suggests they are growing up too fast, or that they're overly materialistic and indulged.

"These kids be having more money than I have in my bank account in their wallet," said one user, @gigipimpin, who said she was a Sephora employee in a TikTok posted on December 31.

The "10-year-olds at Sephora," which has become shorthand for the pheomenon, are increasingly facing mockery and derision.

The internet is divided over who to blame — but millennial parents aren't off the hook

As is customary, criticisms of Gen Alpha have led to backlash against their parents, who are mostly millennials.

"I'm imagining if the children act this way, the parents of these children are probably acting this way as well," said one user, @fashionnoodle, in a recent video.

She went on to suggest she thinks parents need to teach their kids about values instead of giving them material things, and several other users on the app have said parents are at fault for spoiling their children and not disciplining them.

This isn't the first time millennials have been blamed for their perceived concerns with the youth of today. Millennial parenting has recently faced a brutal reckoning on TikTok, as users have accused these parents of raising badly behaved, technology-obsessed children.

But some people had other theories too.

One user, @sheherzog, argued that the skincare obsession, if legitimate, could be down to kids having fewer places to hang out. The idea that children have less access to public spaces was put forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an impression that young people hang out more online than in-person, as Bloomberg reported in 2020.

The TikToker went on to say she enjoys seeing kids together in malls because it's helping them to learn independence.

Another user, @maaltoks, argued that the social media fascination with skincare from adults is being modeled to kids, and that's the real issue.

TikTok is widely known for developing cult-favorite products that are often promoted by influencers and become instant must-haves. The UK children's charity, NSPCC, has even warned that to keep up with an online trend, children might feel pressure to buy products they see in influencer content.

"When I'm a parent I'm going to teach my kid manners, but I don't know how I'm going to teach my kid not to want to look like the girl on the screen," she said.

Despite these creators' best efforts to sympathize with Gen Alpha, TikTok at large seems to have given this generation its verdict.

Though they are yet to enter the adult world and forge their own path in society, Gen Alpha children so far seem to be villainized in TikTok lore, stereotyped as Sephora-obsessed, misbehaving iPad kids who need to be controlled by their parents.