This is how I take it as well, I assumed I was biased because I am a middle aged person who deeply regrets not taking better care of my skin. Growing up with keratosis pilaris sucked and I wish I would have known back then how easy it is for me to take care of back then rather than being ashamed of my ugly, bumpy skin.

I mean, I wouldn't recommend an over the counter retinol to a 10 year old, but you're right.

I remember using so many drug store teenager products to get rid of pimples, nothing worked, I went to the dermatologist, he prescribed simply 2g of salicylic acid in 100g ethanol, it worked. Like, pimple free within 2 weeks. Then I ran out of the bottle. Was too lazy to get a new one. When I finally went again, boom. Everything gone again.

I mean, this was basically when the internet was just becoming a thing. But I highly regret that it took me so long to get into skincare. And I also regret the laziness about going to the dermatologist (especially since a visit is free in Germany). How I wished that I had gotten into skincare before my wedding, I had to choose a dress that covered up all of my back because I thought I would never get rid of the pimples there. It was a wonderful dress, but had I gotten into skincare just one year earlier, I could have felt more freedom.

And I think a lot of people regret not looking out for their skin earlier. As you mentioned, SPF. How often did we skip this as teens.

"As young as 10" probably implies that most children we are talking about in this article are teenagers. And it is so much preferable to get a good skincare routine if you have specific concerns than to just overdose on drugstore crap that has no effect. Can you overdo it? Sure. Are there products that aren't too good for such a young age? Some. Should they check with a derm first? Recommendable. But all in all this seems like a healthier trend than using lip fillers, botox, or anything else. Mostly because, especially if we are talking anti aging here, most aging occurs from actual damage. And I would guess that if you get into that stuff, no matter whom you follow, sooner or later the kids end up realising that they should use a good SPF, avoid harsh treatments, be gentle, avoid sun. And I don't see something wrong with that.

I may be dumb about this stuff but what is an SPF? How does vit c boost it?