The UK Government has announced the implementation of a social media ban for users under the age of 16 in an effort to “give kids their childhood back”, which will see young people unable to access the likes of Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram from next spring.
Nick Vaus, Creative Director of brand and communication design agency Free the Birds, shares his opinion on how this ban will affect beauty brands and the steps they can take to remain relevant without virality.
“With Gen Alpha becoming less accessible through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, beauty brands may be forced into something they have not had to do for years: build brands that can exist beyond the algorithm and re-strategise so it is not just about 'TikTok-core' aesthetics or virality.
Over the past decade, beauty branding has increasingly become a product of social media.
Products are designed to be photographed, filmed, and shared; packaging is optimised for unboxing videos and ‘get ready with me’ (GRWM) routines and, in that vein, limited-edition drops, playful colour palettes and highly visual product names are created with virality in mind.
Packaging must come with social media storytelling in mind, so the objective is not merely to be beautiful but to be instantly recognisable within a three-second scroll.
P.Louise is an example of this, having leaned into a Gen Alpha audience with colour and a playful narrative that creates social media buzz.
For Gen Alpha, social media has acted a
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