Though I’ve legally been an adult for almost four years now, there is a sense that I’m only now leaving my childhood behind. I’m in my last semester of college, getting ready to graduate in May, and somehow, I feel simultaneously old and young. I guess that might sound confusing, but the more I think about it, the more I regret wanting to grow up so fast as a kid.

I was one of those kids that got told they had an “old soul,” when, in reality, I was just a firstborn child perpetually surrounded by adults. Of course, I had my own childlike interests for most of pre-K and elementary school, anything from “Dora the Explorer” to Harry Potter. There were some things my parents probably should have kept me from until I was older, but for the most part, I was a happy kid (if a little weird).

Gen Z is often referred to as the last generation of kids who experienced a semi-traditional childhood due to the undeniable expanding influence of the internet during our upbringing. Many of us were introduced to the unrestricted internet as pre-teens and teenagers, finding ourselves on sites like Wattpad and Omegle, and eventually social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat.

This pipeline still exists today, but it seems severely accelerated for children in Generation Alpha, many of whom have grown up with technology at their disposal. Affectionately and accurately labeled “iPad kids,” Gen Alpha has spent much of their childhood with their eyes glued to screens, and they often receive their own phones around age 10. As they enter their preteen years, their media consumption continues to evolve.

Two years ago, I distinctly remember my cousin, who was 11 years old at the time, admitting he watched all of “Squid Game” while hiding upstairs. He was proud of it, too. Needless to say, the rest of my family was horrified — we knew the show was insanely violent, to the point where some of my adult relatives couldn’t watch certain scenes. And yet, for my cousin, the experience was well worth it, just to see himself as more mature.

On average, 38% of tweens are active on social media apps. A statistic like this may not seem concerning, until you realize just the kind of content these young people are consuming. Apps like TikTok and Instagram are designed to circulate all kinds of posts, from makeup routines to international news. However, very little of what these kids are interacting with is truly geared towards them.

The rise of Sephora 10-year-olds is a more recent example of preteened children being exposed to products marketed towards adults. It’s not a crime for young girls to be curious about makeup or to practice personal hygiene, but to be influenced into buying products like the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream, an undeniable pressure is placed on children to grow up much faster than they need to.

There’s a certain irony in children buying anti-aging products as a method of appearing older. While of course there are scenarios that require children to assume more adult-level responsibilities, these 10 year-old girls running around unleashed in Sephora are the product of societal coercion. In truth, they’re victims. These preteens are denied their childhood by their exposure to harsh realities, forcing them into emotional maturity well before they reach anything resembling adulthood.

I know these kids aren’t really aware of the consequences they may face later in life as a result of their unrestricted media consumption, but I can’t help but feel sorry for them. They won’t know what it’s like to not have to worry about the number of followers they have, or not having a Stanley cup. Social media makes it so easy for us to compare ourselves to others, and having kids start to compare themselves to full-grown adults at just 10 years old feels wildly unfair.

So here I am, a 21-year-old teenage girl mourning her childhood, along with the childhoods of countless other kids who are growing up too fast. There’s a simplicity I feel I can never go back to as an adult. Why would I wish the hardships and complexities of life on the next generation before they’re truly ready for it? Taking the time to figure out who you are outside of the influences of others is vital for your own self-image. If we deny the generations of tomorrow that chance, what monsters of consumption are we creating now?