This story was published in print in February 2024.

Teenagers tend to obsess over eliminating pimples, hydrating dry skin and concealing blemishes. But recently, a new obsession has been accelerating adolescent use of various skincare serums and creams: preventing and eliminating visible signs of aging decades before wrinkles begin to emerge.

Social media users spend copious amounts of time inspecting and critiquing their own faces and those they see on the internet, often comparing themselves to what may be unrealistic standards. In recent years, online audiences have gravitated towards content centered around skincare and beauty routines.

“Get Ready With Me” videos — a trend in which influencers post videos of themselves applying skincare or makeup products while sharing a personal story or talking about their day have soared in popularity. According to Fortune, viewers have watched TikTok with the hashtag “GRWM” more than 157 billion times. The aesthetic and entertainment value of skin-care content draws viewers in and influences them to purchase the featured products.

When social studies teacher Suzanne Johnson was shopping in the beauty section of her local Target, her nine-year-old daughter requested products from the trending skincare companies Drunk Elephant and The Ordinary, both of which she had seen on social media.

Johnson was taken aback by her young daughter’s request for beauty products targeted towards teens and adults, she said.

“Obviously, their skin has not gone through the aging process, like us who are older,” she said. “It makes me think she doesn’t truly understand their purpose. She’s just feeding into this skewed sense of how she should look to others.”

On apps like Instagram and TikTok, beauty-related content perpetuates the idea that young people should avoid visible face lines and wrinkles and seek poreless, smooth skin and high cheekbones, shifting social media’s beauty standard to an unattainable youthful appearance. Recently, a camera filter that shows the user an aged version of themselves circulated on TikTok, and over 5 million users reacted with shock at what their faces might look like when they’re older. Popular social media personality Kylie Jenner used the filter in a video that has now received over 150 million views, reacting by saying, “I don’t like it, I don’t like it all.”

Influencers expressing fear in response to physical signs of aging can evoke fear in the young generation, fueling their reliance on trending anti-aging beauty methods. In a study Oxford University published on behalf of The Aesthetic Society, researchers found that Gen Z’s desire for prolonged youth differs from previous generations, possibly due to their near-constant exposure to social media.

Using enticing pseudonyms, such as “glass skin,” “jello skin” and “glazed donut skin,” influencers promote the idea that as long as their audience purchases certain products and implements specific skincare regimens, they can achieve the trending beauty standard and resemble the influencers they idolize. Skincare content creators who gain larger audiences are also incentivized with brand sponsorships to promote certain products to prevent the signs of aging in advance.

Botox and other cosmetic procedures aren’t new anti-aging trends, but they’re now reaching a younger audience. Plastic surgery influencers and some plastic surgeons now promote the use of “preventive” Botox injections, routine injections that begin young to prevent the onset of future wrinkles.

Other anti-aging fads sweeping social media include sleeping with silicone anti-wrinkle pads, implementing fine line reducing red light exposure and practicing a traditional Chinese medicinal routine known as “gua sha” to smooth fine lines. Skincare brands like Glow Recipe, Bubble and e.l.f feed into the anti-aging beauty phenomenon by releasing retinoid serums and eye creams that support teenage “prejuventation,” a term coined by Dr. Ken Arndt that means preventing the loss of youthful beauty early in life. The brand Spoiled Child recently released a line of anti-aging products targeted toward teens, marketed with the slogan “Getting old is getting old.”

Beyond serums and botox, skin care influencers and dermatologists encourage daily sunscreen use. In past decades, sunscreen was known to be essential in preventing skin cancer, but content creators now also market sunscreen as a daily must-use product for preventing wrinkles.

Junior Melina Dorian rarely used SPF products until social media posts sparked her interest in combating wrinkles and instructed her to start using sunscreen. Throughout her sophomore year, Dorian would apply sunscreen to her face and neck three times a day and keep bottles of sunscreen in her backpack.

Despite sunscreen’s benefits, such as preventing skin cancer and skin damage, Dorian soon realized her “influenced” habit was unhealthy, she said.

“It was becoming obsessive. I would take extra time out of my day to make room to apply it and would feel anxious or guilty if I forgot to use it,” Dorian said. “I was made to feel scared of the appearance I would have without it.”

The anti-aging skincare products marketed to teens are often originally formulated for older skin, with compositional differences that can actually cause damage for young users. In an interview with USA Today about retinoid usage among children, dermatologist Dr. Brooke Jeffy explained that using potent anti-aging products at a young age could cause allergic reactions and rashes or make young users’ skin more sensitive to the sun.

Researchers have found that these dangerous beauty standards have roots in society’s ageist values. According to “Aging in America: Ageism and General Attitudes toward Growing Old and the Elderly” from the Open Journal of Social Sciences, studies show that individuals, especially younger people, tend to associate elderly people with incompetence, low status and unattractiveness.

Some celebrities are taking on a pro-aging platform to inspire the younger generation to embrace the beauty of aging. At the Radically Reframing Aging Summit, actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared that she wants her aged beauty to be defined by her internal traits. Actress Pamela Anderson, once known for her bold makeup looks, appeared at various public events without any makeup, telling People Magazine that “chasing youth is futile.”

In a recent YouTube video with Vogue, singer Ariana Grande admitted to getting filler and Botox in her twenties but stopping in 2018 because she felt overwhelmed with hiding what social media considered to be her “flaws.” She hopes others can find pride and elegance in their aged appearances as well, she said.

Junior Elizabeth Zhao believes that adolescents should prepare to meet their aged appearance with acceptance, rather than using skin care to prematurely prevent it.

“A lot of skincare is marketed towards firming, plumping, revitalizing,” Zhao said. “It’s always made to help you fix something, but I don’t think that aging needs fixing.”