In this drop, we dive into the latest youth culture trends; from the plush toy frenzy that’s taken over TikTok to the growing pressures around appearance and the surprising views young people have about smartphones. Let’s unpack it all…
Trends: It’s All About Labubu!
If you haven’t heard of Labubu – they’re the mischievous little monster-elf plush toys that have become the latest obsession. The ones causing a frenzy come in blind boxes, meaning you don’t know which one you’re getting until you open it. Some are common whereas you only have a 1 in 72 chance of getting the ‘secret’ ones, and the thrill of the hunt has sparked a frenzy! Prices range from £17.50 to nearly £30 for the bag chain versions, but some rarer ones are reselling for £80, £200 or more.
The hype has seen some Pop Mart stores, such as the in Birmingham, to make the decision to stop stocking them instore (and to only sell them online) due to the insane queues they were getting outside the shop. Alongside this, many people are resorting to either purposefully or accidentally getting fakes – lovingly termed ‘Lafufus’.
Interestingly, these little creatures have been around since 2019. Google Trends shows that back in March, barely anyone was searching for them, but now? It’s exploded. So what happened?
A combination of celebrity influencer culture (Lisa from Blackpink and Dua Lipa are just two spotted with a Labubu on their bag) and social media. TikTok has played a huge role in this boom. There are over 1.5 million posts under the hashtag #Labubu, with unboxing videos and collectors showing off their finds.
It’s a reminder of the power of scarcity and how social media can turn a niche toy into a cultural phenomenon overnight. And it’s not the first time, do you remember the Jellycat Amuseables craze?
Issues: Beauty Pressures
Recent years saw a rising tide of body positivity, but there’s a growing sense that the tide is turning again. The pressure to be thin, youthful, and “put together” is creeping back into mainstream culture and the pressure is seeping into the psyche of our young people.
From Ozempic weight-loss jabs to face taping, Botox, and LED masks, the beauty industry is booming—and narrowing the definition of what’s considered beautiful. Boots’ 2025 Beauty Trend Report even coined the term “prejuvenation”—preventative beauty routines aimed at stopping ageing before it starts. Sales of LED masks alone are up 536%. All of this starts piling pressure on our young people to look and appear a certain way.
TikTok now also has a niche micro-culture called #SkinnyTok encouraging behaviours that fuel ‘skinniness’. Add to this that online culture is fueling the narrative that getting your nails, hair and eyelashes done is all just routine maintenance rather than a treat (not to even mention that Botox and fillers are increasingly normalised too…).
One worrying report also recently alleged that Facebook showed beauty ads to teenage girls after detecting when they deleted selfies—raising serious questions about how platforms exploit insecurities. And it’s not just young girls who are targeted either – young men are also being targeted with pressures of hair transplants as they age, skincare products and more.
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Digital World: Digital Natives Would Parent Differently
Phones have been part of life for today’s teens since they were toddlers. But now, many digital natives are reflecting on their own childhoods and saying they’ll do things differently with their own kids, based on their own experiences.
A recent Guardian article shared stories from young people who were exposed to traumatising content online – everything from violent videos to grooming attempts, but how their parents were clueless as to what was going on and how to effectively help protect them. In response, older teens and young adults are saying they would clamp down on access to phones with their own future children and would check what they are accessing.
Interestingly, another Guardian article found that 50% of young people would support a digital curfew after 10pm and 46% said they’d rather grow up in a world without the internet. Pretty significant for a generation often intertwined with the digital world.
The same study showed that when teenagers, 42% had lied about their age online and 27% had shared their location with strangers. Having lived through the risks, these digital natives are now advocating for boundaries.
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Final Thoughts
From collectable toys and face tape, to TikTok and digital trauma, these cultural moments branch out from deeper questions about identity, influence, and control. How do we help support young people navigate beauty standards? How do we help protect the next generation online? And what fuels a craze?
Word Of The Month: NPC
NPC (short for Non-Playable Character)
Originally from gaming, it’s now used as a cultural insult. Calling someone an NPC suggests they’re unoriginal, scripted, or just going along with the crowd. It’s a way of saying someone doesn’t think for themselves.