Here are the morning's top stories on Wednesday, December 25, 2024...
Tallulah and Michen zig-zag through the aisles of the Sephora at the Century City Mall on a Saturday afternoon. It's packed inside, but they have no trouble locating the products they found on their TikTok "For You" pages. Their moms are following dutifully behind them. Because Tallulah and Michen are 10 years old.
Michen's purchase today is a lip balm. But she's also got eye masks and scrubs, which are part of a long bedtime routine. "They see it all on TikTok. And then come in, want to come here and go buy everything they see," says her mom, Dana Michels.
Countless influencers on TikTok recommend these products, including wrinkle creams. These anti-aging items are packaged in neon-colored bottles and tubes with perfect portions dispensed when you push on the lid. They look like toys. The cost can be $70 per pop.
Psychologist and USC social media professor Karen North says these products often make young girls feel more grown-up. "Pretty much forever, we've seen kids try to act a little bit more grown up, try on the fancy clothes, put on mom's shoes, put on makeup," she says. "Now we have TikTok as the older sibling to emulate." But some kids are actually hurting their skin. "You get irritation, redness, burning, and also photosensitivity or sensitivity to the sun, which then can lead to sunburn," says dermatologist Evette Ramsay.
We're all familiar with thrifting by now, but what about giving a second life to stuff left in a landfill?