Bizarre Adult Dummy Trend Raises Concerns Over Young People’s Mental Health

Just when you thought things couldn't get any strange and the wellness industry had run out of strange ways to tackle everyday stress, adults sucking on oversized baby dummies just entered the conversation.

Adult pacifiers have attracted widespread attention after becoming a peculiar stress-relief trend in China, with users claiming that sucking a dummy helps them cope with anxiety, workplace pressure and sleepless nights. The phenomenon has subsequently appeared across social media elsewhere, prompting the inevitable question of whether we could soon see commuters heading through Newcastle Central Station with a dummy between their teeth.

It might sound like satire, but the truth is, the trend and the products (and sales behind them) are real.

Thousands of adult dummies are being sold.

Reports from China in 2025 found online retailers selling adult-sized pacifiers for between 10 and 500 yuan, roughly £1 to £52 depending on exchange rates, while some individual sellers claimed monthly sales exceeding 2,000 units.

The trend became substantial enough online for discussion of adult pacifiers on Chinese social network Weibo to attract more than 68 million views. One bestselling product on Taobao reportedly passed 10,000 sales.

Supporters have made an extraordinary collection of claims about them, ranging from reducing anxiety and improving sleep to preventing snacking, helping people stop smoking and improving concentration while psychiatrists say adult thumb-sucking can be a self-soothing behaviour that may be associated with stress, anxiety or other larger mental health concerns.

There is a rather large catch. These are consumer claims surrounding a viral product, not established medical treatments for anxiety.

Newcastle certainly has stress, but dummies are not the answer.

There is no shortage of genuine anxiety for people in Newcastle and the wider North East to contend with.

Official figures show that 23 per cent of people in the North East reported high levels of anxiety in 2022/23. With the region home to around 2.7 million people, that percentage illustrates the considerable scale of anxiety across the population, although it should not simply be applied to the entire population as a headcount because the survey measures eligible respondents rather than every resident.

Newcastle itself had an estimated population of 311,976 in 2023, according to figures cited by Newcastle City Council.

Nationally, the picture is equally serious. The latest Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey found that 20.2 per cent of adults in England had experienced a common mental health condition during the previous week. That equates to an estimated 9.4 million adults. Generalised anxiety disorder alone affected an estimated 7.5 per cent.

In other words, anxiety is a genuine public health issue. The evidence that sticking a giant baby dummy in your mouth treats it is another matter entirely.

Dentists are considerably less enthusiastic.

While users may describe feeling calmer, there is no established clinical evidence that adult pacifiers treat anxiety disorders.

Medical professionals have instead raised concerns about prolonged use. Reported potential problems include jaw stiffness, changes to tooth position and bite alignment, while sleeping with a pacifier has prompted additional warnings about breathing and choking risks.

That makes the spectacle of expensive adult dummies being marketed as wellness accessories particularly questionable. A temporary feeling of comfort is not the same thing as a proven health benefit, and anecdotes on social media should not be confused with medical evidence.

Another internet wellness fad or something here to stay.

From fidget spinners and slime to expensive sleep gadgets, social media has repeatedly found unusual products to package as answers to modern stress. Adult dummies may simply be the latest example.

Whether anyone strolling down Northumberland Street will embrace the trend remains to be seen. Newcastle has more than enough genuine stress and anxiety to address, but until convincing research says otherwise, raiding the baby aisle is unlikely to feature prominently in evidence-based mental healthcare.

Statistics you may find interesting.

The strongest figures worth using are 20.2%, the proportion of adults in England identified with a common mental health condition in the latest NHS survey, 7.5% for generalised anxiety disorder, and 23%, the proportion reporting high anxiety in the North East in 2022/23. Newcastle's 2023 population was approximately 312,000, while the wider North East contained roughly 2.7 million residents.

For the trend itself, reported Chinese retail figures include 2,000+ adult pacifiers per month from some sellers, prices of approximately 10 to 500 yuan, 68 million+ Weibo views, and more than 10,000 sales for one bestselling Taobao product. These figures should be attributed to the reports rather than presented as independently audited market statistics.

Share your thoughts.

Is society normalising unhealthy coping mechanisms in young adults?