7 Tiktok Trends Parents Need to Know About
Doctor debunks harmful trends affecting teens and tweens
The luna app gets thousands of anonymous questions from teens, and a significant number of these are about TikTok trends they’ve seen, asking what they are or whether they should try them.
From period syncing to subliminal messages and even salt water flushes, there’s seemingly no end or age limits to what the algorithm serves as teen or tween TikTok trends!
We also know anecdotally that there are people much younger than the age minimum (13) who are secretly using TikTok. So, concerningly, children could be following this TikTok trending content as young as 10, and it can be hard to sort the fact from the fiction, or the truth from the meme when you're at such an impressionable age.
The luna app acts as an antidote to social media by creating medically-verified content around these topics – but we know we haven’t reached every teen across the globe (yet!).
So, for any parents of teens who don’t have luna yet (it’s free to download, if you want), we’re sharing with you 7 harmful TikTok trends right now that we’ve genuinely been asked about, and that you might want to watch out for!
These myths that are trending on TikTok have all been debunked with the help of Dr. Katie Malbon, Consultant Paediatrician and Lead for Children and Young People’s Mental Health at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and one of luna’s team of amazing medical advisors.
TikTok trend 1: girls shedding skin on their period
Anonymous question: “I’m really scared, I just watched a video of a grown woman on YouTube and she was just peeling off her skin(it said that it’s a monthly peel like after periods) and all her face was red and looks very painful and I don’t want that to happen to me… please help luna🤍”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “So it’s true that periods can come with different symptoms, and can often cause skin changes such as acne – but you won’t shed your skin as these videos suggest (this is actually just a face mask) Technically, there is some shedding involved in a period, but that is the lining of your uterus which sheds, causing a period.
I totally get that this was created as an inside joke to convince non-menstruators that this is the case, but it’s really confused a lot of young girls who are looking for genuine first period tips via social media”
TikTok trend 2: drinking lime juice to stop a period
Anonymous question: “is it true lime juice delays your period”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “This is at best ineffective and at worst dangerous! There are no other ways of delaying your period except for using medications such as norethisterone or hormonal contraception, which needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Definitely one to avoid!”
TikTok trend 3: salt water flushes for weight loss
Anonymous question: “Does salt water actually help to lose weight? I've been wanting to try it but I'm scared. Is it true or not?”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “This is like taking a laxative, and so basically you’re forcing a process that would naturally happen – in fact, there’s not even any scientific research to suggest that laxatives will make you lose weight in the long term.
In general, this could have serious consequences to your body as you’re creating an imbalance in your electrolytes by consuming too much salt. Unless recommended directly by a doctor, it should be avoided.”
TikTok trend 4: leggings legs aka the thigh gap trend
Anonymous question: “how do i get legging legs x”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “Unfortunately, there are so many workout videos, products, or dieting regimes out there that claim to give you a “thigh gap” or "leggings legs".
While, yes, someone with less fat on their thighs is more likely to have a gap between their thighs, they would also need to have the bone structure, height, and muscle distribution to allow for this. So really, no diet or exercise can give you a “thigh gap”, and not everyone will develop a gap between their thighs by losing weight.
And that’s really okay because there are no health benefits of having a gap between your thighs, and we need to recognise that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
As we learnt from luna’s latest insights report, 69% of teens that would change something about how they looked if they could – trends like “leggings legs” reinforce unrealistic expectations, which physically cannot be achieved by so many people, and can lead to very real and dangerous mental health issues like body dysphoria and disordered eating.”
TikTok trend 5: period syncing or period bluetoothing
Anonymous question: “Is it true that periods can sync if you spend a lot of time with someone? My mum always mentions it. Me and two of my closed friends are usually all on our periods at the same time. Is it just an old wives tale?”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “This goes way back to the 1970s when researchers explored the possibility that menstruators’ pheromones (those natural chemicals we emit) could influence each other, leading to synchronised menstrual cycles.
Despite this initial research, there hasn't been much follow-up to prove this theory on period syncing. With what little evidence there is, we can only conclude that it's nothing more than a myth!
It can actually be pretty harmful too, because lots of luna’s teen community believe this to be true. Either they expect their period to start at the same time as their friends and so feel left out when it doesn’t, or they track their periods according to friends’ or family member’s cycles rather than tracking their own – leading to a lot of stress if it doesn’t match up.”
TikTok trend 6: Mewing for face shape change
Anonymous question: “hi luna, i'm 14 years old and all my friends at school are talking about this thing called "looksmaxxing" and "mewing". apparently they make you look better and make your jawline more defined. is this true?”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “Dr. John Mew and followers claim it works, but to be honest we as doctors doubt its effectiveness...Dr. Mew even lost his dental licence for promoting it without strong proof!
Despite its popularity on social media, there is no clear scientific evidence to support “mewing”. It may offer ideas for the future, but it's not a proven alternative to established dental procedures”
TikTok trend 7: subliminal messages
Anonymous question: “I'm currently listening to a subliminal to get rid of body hair. Will it work?”
Dr. Katie Malbon says: “So subliminals, or subliminal messaging, is when a message is passed to the human mind without the mind being consciously aware of it. Subliminals on social media are promising solutions to a huge range of problems. BUT there's no scientific backing that subliminals work, especially in the case of physical changes, like helping spots or preventing body hair growth. Instead of subliminals, it’s best to actively work to change what you're unhappy with at the same time as focusing on building your confidence and being happier with what you have"
So, what does Dr. Katie have to say about this in general?
"These trends can be very dangerous, it's important for teens to get their health information from trusted sources, either directly from doctors or apps like luna that are endorsed by medical professionals."
Hope this has given you some food for thought – some may be more surprising than others, and there’s always new ones coming out! We’ll be hot on their trail by posting content in the luna app debunking all of this and more, so if you think you teen or tween could do with the extra support do recommend them to luna – it’s “we are luna app” on App Stores.
