‘Fight the hype’: Parents vs Social Media
|Published
ON MAY 1 a buying frenzy erupted at Checkers supermarkets when fans of the global drink phenomenon, Prime Hydration, queued en mass to secure their stash of the product.
Included among the crowds were teens and tweens who queued for hours, some of them overnight, determined to also get their hands on the popular brand which sold out quickly.
Social media was flooded with pictures of those who’d managed to secure their bottles of the hydration drink, considered a global viral phenomenon.
Prime was launched in January 2022 by YouTube sensations, Logan Paul and KSI, who have a combined social following of more than 47 million followers.
Since then the product has been available only at selected outlets in South Africa, retailing at anything from R400 upwards per bottle.
Prime Hydration is a 500ml drink made up of coconut water with zero added sugar or caffeine, and added vitamins.
When Checkers confirmed it was the official South African retail partner of Prime, it meant the sought-after drink was now more widely available to local enthusiasts at supermarket prices. They launched with four flavours –Ice Pop, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime and Tropical Punch.
The retail chain said: “Prime's availability caused major excitement amongst Gen Z customers, resulting in thousands of customers lining up overnight to get their hands on the popular drink, which has now become a viral collector’s item around the world. Selected Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores in South Africa will stock Prime until stocks last. A single 500ml unit of Prim Hydration will cost R39.99 ...”
Not long after its launch the product went viral on social media.
Photos were snapped and shared while people stood in line at the supermarket, posers showed off the Prime loot that they had managed to secure, influencer feeds dripped with Prime selfies and videos.
Memes, seemingly created in a snap, quickly poked fun at the craze over the product. From the way it tastes, to the hype around it, they did not hold back.
Within hours social media feeds were flooded with #Prime posts.
Within just a day of its official launch, some schools began banning the product. By this week, according to media reports, the National Association of School Governing Bodies called for the hydration drink to be banned at all schools.
Although Checkers said in its statement that Prime Hydration, which is the one being sold in South Africa, has zero added sugar and no caffeine, some schools healthy lunchbox policies only permit water or watered down juice.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADOLESCENTS
The hype, however, is centred around the brand that the two influencers represent, more than the actual product and how it tastes. This could prove to be disruptive in a school setting where pupils could be distracted by the excitement.
It points to the repercussions of social media trends, particularly on children and teenagers, as was witnessed in stores and on social media in this instance.
Hameeda Bassa-Suleman is a clinical psychologist based in Durban. She has a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and over 10 years experience treating adults and teenagers in her private practice.
We asked her about the hype among the younger fans.
She said parents needed to be aware of how easily influenced kids are by the videos and programmes they are exposed to.
“Shorts, reels and social media is programmed and designed to keep you actively engaged and children do not have the mental capacity to regulate how this will affect their behaviour and choices in real day to day life. Often times they may follow the hype without pausing to think about it.
We asked Bassa-Suleman if following certain influencers on social media gave children/teens an unrealistic idea of what it means to be happy.
“Absolutely. Portraying a high-end lifestyle can give children, teenagers and young adults the idea that acquiring material possessions can bring health and happiness which is far from the truth.
“Social media influencers also struggle with mental health and other life difficulties but often do not post or talk about this. This creates the illusion that there are no negatives which is unrealistic and makes young people (who are) watching feel inadequate and not good enough for having real struggles or difficulties.”
So, how do parents compete with social media, then? How can they best teach their kids that not all that glitters is gold?
“It is important to spend time with your children consistently and to engage with them and find out what their interests are, what their motivations are and what they enjoy,” said Bassa-Suleman.
“Spending quality time with your children will give you the opportunity to advise them and make them more resilient against the influence of the outside. They will also develop better self-esteem and be confident about saying no to the next hyped event.”
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