Every sixth parent in the US is in support of their teenage children indulging in non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as laser hair removal, chemical skin peels, teeth whitening and dermal fillers, according to nationwide study published on Monday.
The study led by the University of Michigan Health CS Mott Children’s Hospital, based on a national poll showed that more than 16 per cent parents believe that teenagers should be allowed to receive these types of aesthetic treatments for any reason as long as they have approval from their guardians.
But, half of parents only support teenagers getting non-surgical cosmetic procedures if there’s a valid reason. While 50 per cent said the reason should not be “being bullied about appearance”, less than 40 per cent say improving mental health is a good reason.
“Parents were conflicted about the circumstances under which non-surgical cosmetic procedures are appropriate for teenagers,” said Mott Poll Co-Director and Mott pediatrician Susan Woolford.
“Interestingly, similar proportions of parents rated the validity of teenagers wanting to look good for a special occasion on par with wanting the procedures due to mental health or bullying,” Woolford added.
The nationally representative poll is based on responses from 989 parents of children ages 13-17 surveyed in August 2024. The increased popularity of these procedures may be associated with social media content that exposed teenagers to idealise images of faces and bodies, Woolford said.
“Teenagers are susceptible to feeling insecure about their appearance when compared to digitally altered pictures depicting an appearance that is probably unattainable naturally,” she said. “This problem is exacerbated by the pressure to post pictures of themselves to garner validation.”
However, it’s important for parents to find ways to help teenagers understand the distortions presented in the media while also exploring their reasons for wanting to change their appearance, she said.
“If a teenager asks for a non-surgical cosmetic procedure, parents should consider the emotional and mental health implications,” she said.
Further, the poll showed that parent opinions of the age at which youth should be able to obtain such services also varied. More than half selected 18 years of age or older, 27 per cent said ages 16-17 was old enough and 17 per cent said 15 or younger was also fine.
But, nearly a third of parents think teenagers should be prohibited from these procedures under any circumstances.
