Gen Z teens are covering their nose in family photos. Here’s why

A look on social media and we shall come across thousands and thousands of images in which friends and family have perfected the duck pout or flashing the peace sign or even the finger heart pose. But it seems these are now all passé. There’s a new pose trending on social media and it seems that Generation Z have committed to it in family photos. What are we talking about? The ‘nose cover’ trend has gone viral over Instagram, Facebook and TikTok — there’s been at least 3,200 engagements on the topic in the past one week. On On TikTok, the #coveryournose hashtag has over 1.2 million views with some users posting videos of filters or “pose ideas” to cover one’s nose when taking pictures. But what exactly is the ‘nose cover’ trend? And why are Gen-Zers making it the go-to pose? What’s the ‘nose-cover’ trend? Named as such because Gen-Zers cover the middle of their face with their hands while the photo is taken, it allows camera-shy teens to keep their face out of the picture. It became a conversation starter when 15-year-old Venezuela Fury, the daughter of British professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, was seen covering her nose with her hand. Even her cousin, Valentino, was seen striking the same pose. [caption id=“attachment_13624842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] In a photo posted by Paris Fury, her daughter Venezuela and niece Valentino do the ’nose cover’ pose. Image Courtesy: @PARISFURY1/Instagram[/caption] Other teens have also been following this trend, baffling parents and many asking if it’s a secret sign. In fact, one parent, Michelle Heard, told The Sun that after she saw her 13-year-old son covering his nose in photos, she asked him about him. “Is everything OK? Why won’t you show up in family photos for the handsome boy that you are anymore?” She also pondered if it was something to do with bullying. He responded, “No, but I will be if you post pictures of me online without my consent!” Why are GenZers covering their nose? Heard after speaking to her son realised that while she wanted to capture and share every moment with him, it could be damaging to her teen. “As parents, we want to capture it all — their first step, every tooth, the braces, the spots, and then we proudly post in our online social circles mindlessly without stopping to think how damaging this can be to our youngsters within their own online social groups.” And parenting expert Amanda Jenner agrees with this view. In her opinion, teens are very active on the internet and are scrolling through social media to find embarrassing photos of their friends to make fun of them. Through the nose covering trend, teens appease their parents without facing the risk of being made fun of by their peers. Jenner also pointed out that this trend has a lot to do with teenagers and their awkward phase. “Teenagers go through a period of not embracing their appearance, ie, spots, braces, or they just have a time in their lives where they have no self-confidence.” “The online world is a very hard thing for teenagers to tackle as we all know. But to have pictures across social channels which parent’s have taken and maybe not perfected this can really affect teenagers. Their peers can often share the photo and make fun of it which is very harmful to their confidence also resulting in harmful comments which can lead onto other issues. It’s very sad that we can’t share and be proud of family photos but unfortunately this is the way it is today,” she was quoted as telling The Sun. How others have reacted? However, some have called out the trend, calling it weak. A parent wrote on X, “My kids wouldn’t get away with that” and another agreeing, wrote, “Ridiculous. Your parents are the only ones who love you unconditionally and you can’t just let them take a family picture where they can see your face?” But while some parents have scoffed at it, there are others who cite the intensive online bullying as a valid reason for children indulging in the nose cover trend. **Also read: Why Japan’s Parliament has made ‘online insults’ punishable by one year in prison** How dangerous can online bullying be? And one can’t really argue with the fact that online bullying is a real danger. A Pew Research of 2022 has revealed just how pervasive cyberbullying has become. The report revealed that nearly half of US teens ages 13 to 17 (46 per cent) had experienced some kind of cyberbullying. It further revealed that the most commonly reported behaviour was name-calling, with 32 per cent of teens saying they had been called an offensive name online. Moreover, 22 per cent reported that false rumours had been spread about them and 17 per cent had received explicit images they didn’t ask for. More dangerously, 10 per cent were physically threatened. Dosomething.org has also reported that Instagram is the social media site where most young people report experiencing cyberbullying, with 42 per cent of those surveyed experiencing harassment on the platform. Experts have noted that cyberbullying adversely impacts teenagers, especially their mental health. Many teens today complain of anxiety and depression, with psychologists noting that in many cases, it has stemmed from cyberbullying. Furthermore, some victims of cyberbullying also suffer from severe anger issues. Psychologists have also flagged a higher risk of eating disorder symptoms in teens and adolescents who are victims of cyberbullying. And in most drastic cases, targets of cyberbullying resort to self-harming or suicide. Research has consistently linked bullying and self-harm. Cyberbullying also increases the risk of suicide. Kids that are constantly tormented by peers through text messages, instant messaging, social media, or apps often begin to feel hopeless and that the only way to relieve the pain is ending their life. It is left to be seen if this trend continues, but as one user noted on X, “It’s nothing new. People have been doing this for privacy in Japan since the late 1990s or even earlier.” With inputs from agencies