Doctor Warns of the Dangers of Perfume FOMO on Teenage Behaviour

Not long ago, a crowd of children and adolescents were seen queueing at a Jakarta shopping centre to obtain a perfume that had gone viral. The trend not only underscored growing interest among young people in fragrance products but also raised concerns about the fear of missing out (FOMO) among children. In the midst of the intense influence of social media and digital trends, doctors warn parents not to treat this as a trivial matter. However, using perfume should not become a symbol of social status. ‘Do not make perfume a symbol of status. Children may take care of themselves, but there is no need to push them to buy a particular product in order to be considered valuable or to maintain their status,’ said Dr. Arifin in an interview with Kompas.com on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. He noted that parents need to understand that the perfume trend developing among children and adolescents does not appear out of nowhere but is influenced by many social and digital factors. Dr. Arifin explained that perfume FOMO among children arises from a combination of social media influence, influencers, digital advertising, and peer environment. ‘Children have FOMO over perfume trends because of a combination of influencers, digital advertising, and their peers, so parental guidance and education are needed,’ he said. He believes that children and adolescents are in a developmental phase that makes them more susceptible to trends popular in their surroundings and on social media. In various literature, children and adolescents are described as highly sensitive to social judgement, comparisons with others, and pressure from social media. This condition makes them more likely to feel that they must follow certain trends to be accepted in their social circles. In addition, UNICEF has stated that digital marketing can affect children when their critical thinking and decision-making abilities have not matured. This condition generally occurs in preschoolers, school-aged children, and to some extent among adolescents who are still in an emotionally volatile phase.