'An epidemic of 9-13 year old girls shopping at Sephora': Older gens bemoan loss of 'tween culture'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Jan 5, 2024 8:00 AM EST

I remember being a tween so vividly I almost feel like I'm still one. It's perhaps the most formative time in our lives-- when we grow out of kid stuff and start to figure out what kind of teen/adult we're going to be. During that time, I started to listen to music that wasn't my parents', develop my own unique personal style, and seek out pockets of the internet that catered to my burgeoning tastes. It's not only a key emotional time, but it's also when you start to be a consumer in a real way. There are not many places you're allowed to be at that age, except for at school or at home, so like many tweens, I would hang out at the mall. Stores like Justice, Claire's, and Hot Topic were my playgrounds.

But do tweens today still have those rituals? Or has the internet stripped them of yet another part of childhood? A recent Twitter thread unlocked this discussion- get in on it below.