25 New Trends That Are Doing More Harm Than Good

In the vast landscape of the internet, Reddit stands out as a digital forum where users gather to discuss, debate, and share insights on a myriad of topics. Recently, one question sparked a particularly enlightening discussion: “What’s a new trend that’s doing a lot of damage that people don’t realize?”

#1

Image source: Nikkerdoodle71, Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo)

IPads for toddlers. Let’s destroy our kid’s dopamine receptors before they can even talk properly. Sounds great.

#2

Image source: Javaddict, Oscar Nord / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Subscription models for every service. gone are the days of curated collections, now you own nothing.

#3

Image source: pursuitoffruit, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Normalizing plastic surgery, fillers and botox for teens.

#4

Image source: carseatsareheavy, Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo)

Posting children and all their personal, emotional and vulnerable moments. People are LITERALLY pimping children for karma and followers. Crying children. Dying children. Naughty children. Confused children. Humiliated children. .

#5

Image source: No-Economy-3961, History in HD / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Extremely elderly politicians.

#6

Image source: Misdirected_Colors, Sofia Alejandra / pexels (not the actual photo)

I think de-stigmatizing mental health is great. I think all the self diagnoses and hyper acceptance where it’s used as justification for s****y, lazy, or entitled behavior is not. I’m sorry to people who are truly struggling, but you still need to take responsibility for your mental health and put effort into trying to grow and heal.

#7

Image source: Snickerdoodlepop, lifesimply.rocks / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Pranking unsuspecting people for clout.

#8

Image source: DangerousMusic14, Tim Gouw / pexels (not the actual photo)

Instagram tourism. We’re trashing beautiful places because we gotta have THAT photo!

#9

Image source: TYPICALASIAN21, ANIRUDH / unsplash (not the actual photo)

The “Alpha male” and red pill ideology popular in groups of men and teenagers.

#10

Image source: Whirlwindofjunk, Keren Fedida / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Kids rarely spending significant time outdoors. On a minor note they’re more likely to become nearsighted. On a significant note, they’re less likely to be emotionally stable for times of adversity as an adult.

#11

Image source: _artbabe95, RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo)

“Hauls” of just about anything. It’s incredibly wasteful and I imagine most influencers who do so can’t use all of that product before they’re pressured to make more content. Plus it encourages normal people to do the same, leading to lots of plastic waste and demand for cheap, unethical labor.

#12

Image source: YayMehNay, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Buccal fat removal.

#13

Image source: encab91, Scott Tobin / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Celebrity tequila. More specifically the process of hydrolysis that use young agave plants instead of mature agave plants, creating a neutral alcohol that is then flavored with additives. This brings the price of agave up and customers are given an artificial tequila rather than traditionally made tequila that uses agave plants matured for 7 years.

#14

Image source: bradlee_scott, SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo)

Using ‘therapy speak’ to justify toxic behavior. It’s making it difficult for people with actual issues being taken seriously when someone who has likely never seen a therapist uses medical terminology to explain why they’re allowed to be a******s in public.

#15

Image source: Terrible-Opinion-888, cottonbro studio

House rentals (corporations, AirBnB) taken too far — when a community ends up with scant actual residents….

#16

Image source: MrMeesesPieces, Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)

The rise of sports gambling. A lot of people are going to lose a lot of money and in A few years it won’t be pretty when we know someone who has had their life destroyed by another addiction in their pocket.

#17

Image source: AlanStanwick1986, Jackson Simmer / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Airpods in constantly. I have a feeling in 20 years we’re going to see a lot of hearing damage in people too young to have it.

#18

Image source: JadedBrit, Priscilla Du Preez ?? / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Trading most of our privacy in exchange for convenience.

#19

Image source: squid_with_a_laptop, Thomas Park / unsplash (not the actual photo)

The disappearance of child friendly spaces online, *especially* for girls. Remember when toys like barbie and poly pocket had websites filled with games where you could dress up characters or do makeovers? Design a dream bedroom? They literally don’t exist anymore. I’ve noticed a growing issue with young girls having no safe spaces online anymore where they can just be kids, leading to them trying to fit in by copying older teen/adult activities like *makeup tutorials* and get-ready-with-me videos, growing up far too quick. Literally saw a kid who was like 12 apply foundation while talking about s**t like some beauty influencer.

#20

Image source: DisplayName212, Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)

Veneers from unlicensed veneer techs.

#21

Image source: johnmacbromley, Perfect Grass / flickr (not the actual photo)

Plastic lawns: bio diversity loss, micro plastic fibres, turning reality into Minecraft.

#22

Image source: Chemical-Funny-7598, Adrian Swancar / unsplash (not the actual photo)

One trend that’s gaining momentum and potentially causing harm is “doomscrolling.” This is to the habit of endlessly scrolling through negative news or social media feeds, often leading to feelings of anxiety, depression, and helplessness.

#23

Image source: _chronicbliss_, Caleb Oquendo / pexels (not the actual photo)

Helicopter parenting. Kids grow up unable to problem solve, self-soothe, make decisions, meet new people, communicate with bosses or professors, just basic stuff. I know parents who won’t let their kids learn to drive because they think 16 is too young. But at 18 they’re going to punt these kids off to college who have been told their whole lives that every stranger wants to kidnap, rape, or murder them, that walking after dark is life-threatening, and now they’re going to room with a stranger, on a campus full of strangers, and walk to and from class, sometimes after dark. There’s a reason so many young adults have anxiety disorders. I know people in their 20s who have panic attacks when faced with calling to make a doctor appointment.

#24

Image source: MetalKeirSolid, Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)

Short videos ruining attention spans .

#25

Image source: Paulvasile48, Magnus Mueller / pexels (not the actual photo)

Posting everything on social media.

I used to post a lot on stories on Instagram, Whatsapp, at some point I started to think that no one actually cares what I post and it’s pointless for me, so I stopped. I was checking who saw those posts, got annoyed when someone I didn’t like watched my stories. Now I don’t post on social media anymore and I’m happier.