Digital Dilemma:

I can’t help but notice there don’t seem to be many 9-12 year olds who meet this socially awkward profile that most had when I was a tween. One look on social media specifically shows kids at this age have a more expensive and longer skin care routine than I do, as well as a wardrobe I can only dream about. The idea of wanting to look a certain way when we grow up seems to have changed for tweens to wanting to look that way now.

This generation is the first generation we have seen grow up with social media. We were lucky as Gen-Z to only have social media introduced to us when we were around teenage years. Even then the platforms were not what they are now and had much less filtered content than accounts we see today. Young boys and girls are now able to watch ‘influencers’ on instagram, tiktok and youtube make a living off making themselves look beautiful and creating a false image of what their lives look like. The comparison we had to teenagers in the early 2000s were Disney Channel stars and although their lives seemed fun and glamorous, there was always an acknowledgement it was unobtainable for ordinary people. The trouble with social media is there is the idea that everyone should look like the influencers, even when the influencers don’t look like that themselves.

A child's brain at the age of 10 is still undergoing the learning of decision making, independent problem solving, and increasing its attention span. (Kids Central Tennessee. 2023). It is not able to decipher what images are real and fake. In fact, even most teenagers' brains are not able to fully do that. The uncensored over-saturation of images that children are exposed to is concerning both to them presently and to the effects on their mental health in later years.

Though we are yet to see the extent of the effects of the current examples, a desire to grow up really quickly and act older than their age is certainly one of them. This skips the important years of brain development as well as the social connections and skills mastered at this age. 

As well as social media’s influence, the worlds of marketing and advertising are not helping. Companies are playing into tweens' desires for makeup and skin care, even going so far as to market it directly to them. Though this is unethical marketing, it encourages the use of products at younger ages which further pushes the needs to grow up faster.

Clothing brands are similar, making clothes that fit the body type of tweens, but are styled more towards an older person. For example, clothes that are tighter and more revealing. This creates a more sexualised view of young girls, but also could affect their view of themselves when they get older and their bodies start changing.

Marketing and social media have become intertwined, to the point where social media users are surrounded by advertising all the time. Even though it has to be declared when a post is sponsored, brands have gotten better at hiding their advertising through the use of influencer endorsements. To a young childs under underdeveloped brain, this can introduce harmful amounts of subconscious marketing. It also leads to them feeling like they need every product an influencer uses, even if the influencer is not actually using the product themselves.

The demand for 'viral' products is directly correlated with social media and tweens. Cosmetic Doctor, Sarah Hart explains, “Brands like Sol de Janeiro really appeal, for example. They all know about Drunk Elephant. Basically, it’s brands that have a good social media presence that clicks with the younger crew.” (Hart, 2024)

Instead of following the trends, tweens are being suggested to instead embrace their unique skin and stick to a simpler routine. If they have any concerns over their skin it is suggested they see a GP or dermatologist rather than consulting social media.

The male gaze impacts many parts of society, however social media is one of the main platforms we can see its effects play out. Amidst the chaos of social media, tweens are swept up in a whirlwind of content, where their views on gender and masculinity are shaped and influenced under the pervasiveness of the male gaze. From day one, the male gaze plants seeds of desire and doubt. The result of this leads to various pressures. What once was, "I want to look like that when I'm older," quickly morphs into "That's what I want to look like now.'' 

The pressure to be perfect can be seen in the use of filters, photoshop, facetune, and plastic surgery. It intersects with advertising with social media influencers claiming that it is a certain product that has given them this perfect look, when in reality it is all fake. This comes as a result of youth being bombarded with images, consciously or subconsciously telling them that's what they should look like, all before they hit puberty. With the bombardment of these images, people and particularly tweens begin to think that it is normal to look perfect, creating a pressure to also meet this impossibly high standard. According to Phoebe Case from Exposure Youth Communications Charity, “These doctored images create the idea that there is something wrong with our natural appearance as we don’t look like the celebrities or influencers we look up to.” (Case, 2022) 

Tween girls are still pre-pubescent, meaning that they have thin model-like bodies with no curves. They are able to fit into the size 0 clothes that companies force models to wear, and it teaches them that this is how small they should be. This can have an effect on how they view themselves and their bodies when they get older and their bodies change. It also means that they are able to fit these more sexualised styles which leads to women being sexualised from a younger age. It is a message that is pushed on girls from a young age to place value in their small figure, fitting into the beauty standard of the male gaze.

Tweens become fixated on meeting these impossible standards. It's like they're playing a game they never signed up for, wrestling with who they are versus who they're told to be. All while this is playing out, brands are preying on this societal pressure by selling products that promise tweens they can achieve this dream look. In reality, it is not possible, but these young impressionable minds do not know this as this is not what they are being told.