Tweens are being roasted by Gen Z for buying up expensive skincare at Sephora and Ulta. One mom who takes her kid to Sephora said it's what Gen Alpha likes.

• Gen Alpha shoppers are being called unruly at high-end makeup retailers.
• One TikTok influencer was criticized for taking her 10-year-old daughter to Sephora.

Gen Alpha has become the focus of intense criticism from Gen Z on TikTok for their obsession with Sephora, but one mom who takes her 10-year-old daughter shopping for luxury skincare is encouraging the internet to let kids indulge in their interests — within reason.

Over the past few weeks, Gen Alpha has developed a reputation for wreaking havoc at beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta, with TikTok users claiming that these 10-year-old girls in Sephora are rude, messy, and entitled.

The consensus among Gen Z TikTokers is if you see a child at Sephora, you better get out of their way.

In viral videos, people claiming to be frequent Sephora shoppers or even employees often tell the same story: Middle school tweens fight over products, bully other shoppers, and spend exorbitant amounts on ridiculous items like antiaging products — despite being closer in age to sniffling kindergartners than to 30-year-olds experiencing their first wrinkle.

Stefanie Eadie, a Florida mom of a 10-year-told, told People Magazine that she is pushing back against Gen Z's ire after receiving tons of backlash on a TikTok she posted about taking her child to Sephora.

"My daughter and her friends all love Sephora. They love makeup, and they always want to go," Eadie told the magazine. "I happened to just take them that day, and I had no idea what the drama was with Sephora. It was just a coincidence that I posted that video."

Eadie told People she decided to follow up on her initial video by sharing clips of her daughter and best friend putting away items and generally being polite while browsing the Sephora aisles. Viewers were still not pleased, now focusing their criticism on the high-end makeup purchases that they could barely afford at their age (and perhaps even now). Eadie defended her daughter and her friend, stating that she was careful with their purchases and steered clear of harmful or harsh products.

"Times change, things are different," Eadie told the publication. "We all had our own interests when we were 10, but now we have the internet, and we have social media. I personally don't let my kids have social media, but they do watch approved YouTube channels. And what's trendy right now is get-ready-with-me's and hauls, whether it's clothing or makeup or whatever."

Representatives for Sephora and Ulta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Eadie did not immediately respond to a request sent by Instagram DM.

Gen Alpha is defending itself, too

The debate over whether the youngest generation should be at Sephora is still brewing, with commenters divided over whether the trend is a sign that kids these days are growing up too fast.

The back-and-forth online is so loud that a brand popular with Gen Alpha — Drunk Elephant — weighed in, assuring parents that many of their products were safe for youthful skin.

But it's not just moms and brands coming to Gen Alpha's rescue — the youngins have also been sharing their thoughts on the controversy.

One 10-year-old named Emma, speaking to Teen Vogue, told the magazine that kids like her are pretty well-behaved at the store. Emma told the publication that they also find it irritating when adults reminisce about what they were doing as tweens.

"I get it, Bratz dolls were probably popular when you were 10 years old…This is the new toy that we have. This is a new generation; we're Generation Alpha. And I'm proud of that," Emma told Teen Vogue.

Tweens who spoke to Mashable also talked about why they are so intrigued by adult skincare and makeup. TikTok seems to be the driving factor.

"I see people I know getting stuff," one tween named Maeve told the publication. "And I realize that like I actually want to get it. I didn't know I wanted it and then when I see that someone else has it and how they use it, I realize it's something I'd actually use a lot."