Have we underestimated the power of screen time?

As kids (of a particular generation), we performed chores in exchange for a few cents spent on a Buffalo Bill at the local roadhouse or corner deli.

Today you’ll find your children squirreling their cash for the latest Poppi Lissiman handbag trending on TikTok because, without rhyme or reason, the absence of a $150 handbag can feel like social suicide for a 12-year-old girl.

Once as young ladies, we stealthily raided our mothers’ cosmetics stash; with the swipe of an app, the tables have turned. Now, tween mums nationwide are sneaking a drop of their child’s high-end face serum while they’re at school.

It’s a tween economy, and the savvy Mecca sales assistant knows it’s not one to be snubbed.

While the TikTokers, Youtubers, and Snapchaters are influencing our youth into spending their bucks on high-end handbags, face creams, and Lorna Jane leggings, they ‘appear’ to be bleeding OUR piggy banks dry. But don’t be quick to assume your children aren’t learning the value of money.

They’ll sell their belongings on Facebook marketplace, start a brand identity on Canva, whip up an Etsy store, and gain a few thousand TikTok followers in a matter of days, to hustle the sale of their ‘preppy’ homemade goods.

These kids know how to make a buck and how to make it fast (and you better believe there’s an underground second-hand skin care trade happening at your local high school).

It begs the question that while you’ve been obsessing over parental controls, online predators (rightly so), and losing sleep over what kind of neck problems your child will develop, maybe they’ve learned something you most likely never will.

It’s possible they’ve been learning the art of hustle, collaboration, and the power of digital marketing—a fair chance they’ve learned how to spot a fake or a scam.

They’ve learned about conscious buying decisions, so you better believe if you’re releasing a product; it best be ethically sourced, environmentally sustainable, and your team gender equal.

The biggest mistake you can make as a retailer in 2023; is to underestimate the power of a 12-year-old and a TikTok dance.