'Get ready with me' trend on rise among teens? Study warns of unseen dangers in viral beauty routines for young girls

After the 'dusting' challenge trend on social media, doctors have raised alarms over the 'get ready with me' beauty obsession among young girls, which is going viral on TikTok. The platform is currently drawing millions to watch influencers' 'get ready with me' videos, which, as per experts, is damaging their health.

According to a survey conducted in 2024, over three in four patients (76 per cent) reported that their 7- to 17-year-old girls have a 'skin care routine'. Well, apart from this study, another groundbreaking study conducted by Northwestern University warned that these girls are shelling out a huge amount of money that may cause redness, reported the New York Post.

To conduct the study, Hales and another researcher created their own TikTok accounts in the guise that they were 13 years of age, and this is when they gathered about 100 unique videos suggested in a 'For You' tab and analysed them.

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Girls between the ages of 7 and 18 years use facial products

During the analysis, the researchers examined how the products are used and the total cost of routines, discovering that girls between the ages of 7 to 18 are applying an average of 6 facial products at once.

Showing a jaw-dropping number, the researchers also noted that these kids spend an average of $168 for about a month's worth of products. In some cases, they even spend over $500. In one of the videos, a creator rubbed about 10 products on her face in six minutes.

my friends asked me for a makeup tutorial n i¡¯ve had a lot of ppl ask me how i do my makeup so here¡¯s this stupid ass tiktok i made pic.twitter.com/nsKVXilBZg

¡ª ????? clione chan ?? ??? (@boople__snoot) March 9, 2023

According to a senior study author, Dr. Tara Lagu, who is also a lecturer of medicine and medical social sciences at Feinberg, as she, the creator, did the procedure, she started to express discomfort and burning, and in the final few minutes, she developed a visible skin reaction.

Risk of using facial products at a young age

According to the New York Post, girls using the active ingredient for a long time can lead to skin allergies, and girls may also face a risk of sun sensitivity called dermatitis, which causes a rash.

On Monday, a report published in the journal Paediatrics, the research, which is considered to be the first peer-reviewed study, examined the pros and cons of teen skin care routines shared on social media and found that apart from the health risks, mental distress is also another concern.