Make up tutorials addiction!

[starlitnight]

My 13 year old daughter is obsessed with watching YouTube tutorials on make up and skin care. I limit this as much as I can and we do lots of fun outdoor activities but all she wants to do is watch these tutorials with kids with plumped lips and fake lashes. She sets her alarm for 6am to start her beauty routine. How to stop it? I’m useless with tech. I’ve asked for advice but it sounds like I can’t block YouTube. I limit her time online but all that time is spent watchin shorts on skincare…. Btw she has amazing skin, not a spot in sight yet! Any ideas much appreciated😌

I think this is a trend unfortunately. You can try and limit this as much as you want, or have an opinion on it (as will the rest of MN for sure), but this will be something her friends are also obsessed with and you can’t limit the social aspect of this trend. At 13 I remember most girls in my class experimented with make up of sorts - it wasn’t as intense as it is these days but the interest always spiked in secondary school. The only thing you can do here is ensure she’s buying items that are mild for the skin / natural / don’t contain any of the acid type ingredients.

what Is your daughter watching YouTube on?

Yep, been here...my 14-year-old’s the same with beauty content. It’s so hard when it’s everywhere, and even harder when they’re waking up early to copy routines they absolutely don’t need yet!
If blocking isn’t an option, maybe try shifting the focus a bit, like suggesting she follow skin-positive creators or talk about what’s actually healthy for her age. You could even watch a few with her and gently question some of the more extreme stuff together.
Also, the Luna app (weareluna.app) might be worth a look, it’s a wellbeing app made for girls her age and has good content around body image and confidence that is relatable and not "cringey". Could help her balance things out a bit, it's definitely helped my daughter.

I had a niece who was also obsessed with makeup and we always helped encouraged it as it's still a fun and creative thing to explore! If you're worried about her self-esteem I suggest open talks about the kind of products that are scientifically proven to be more appropriate for her age and to address how certain products for adults are harmful for teen skin + the filters some of these influencers use on tiktok. Also to maybe ask her about it and get to a place where you can gently figure out what she loves about it? Does she watch the content for fun, is she very curious about makeup as an art form, do you think she wants to changer her appearance?

Thank you very much TY78910, YourAquaTurtle and notnowmrshudson.
That's all so helpful, I really appreciate it.
Yes I remember about that age being interested in make-up but I couldn't endlessly go on-line researching products and there wasn't the same product placement. I always look at her watching history so I know what it is. Harmless in a way but lots of videos about getting a brighter skin, beauty routines etc.
I have got the Yuka app now and am checking ingredients and swapping for healthier options, which she agrees to.
I will definitely try the Luna app, that sounds great and yes, I do try to keep discussing it with her and shop with her so I'm involved.
Does she watch the content for fun, is she very curious about makeup as an art form, do you think she wants to changer her appearance?
Good questions! Much better than me just trying to shut it down. I really do try not to criticise young teenagers with fake nails/eye-lashes etc but of course she knows what I think....

Personally I wouldn’t get too stressed. Out of all the terrible things teens can get involved in getting up at 6am to do skincare and obsessing over makeup is hardly dreadful?

Some makeup videos and tutorials are actually really interesting, there’s a lot of talented makeup artists who do some really skilled and impressive work and I enjoy watching the TikToks/youtube videos of this.