‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencers

Experts say regulation of child influencers sits in a legal grey area as children promote products on social media #ToddlerSkincare: the ‘dark and exploitative’ world of children’s beauty videos on TikTok In a TikTok video a young girl – her age anywhere between 10 and 15 – sits unboxing package after package of products she says were sent to her by skincare brands. She calls it a “PR haul”. In another video, a 16-year-old opens a box of products she received from a well known brand. She says: “I know I have younger people watching,” before reading out a note from the brand that says: “Can’t wait for you to share your thoughts.” This is the rapidly growing world of children’s skincare, in which online influencers as young as 13 accept free products from brands and promote them to their followers. This is despite warnings from dermatologists that children don’t need most skincare products and concern from regulators that the practice exists in a legal grey area. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) is investigating the beauty brands Benefit and Sephora after they appeared to adopt a “particularly insidious” strategy of using young influencers to m