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Alice Yan

Adult pacifiers which claim to relieve anxiety and improve sleep have become a trending product in China, sparking concerns from doctors and internet users.
Some online shops claim they sell more than 2,000 such items a month.
They are described as being bigger than the baby version and sell for between 10 and 500 yuan (US$1.4 and US$70), the news outlet The Cover reported.
Many shops say that adult pacifiers offer stress relief and help with sleep.

Some say the products can also help people quit smoking and assist with proper breathing.
The nipple part is transparent and the shield comes in a variety of colours, the Post found.
“It is high quality, soft, and I feel comfortable sucking it. It does not impede my breathing,” one buyer said on a leading shopping platform.
“It is amazing in helping me quit smoking. It gives me psychological comfort and makes me not so fidgety during my smoke cessation periods,” said another person.

A third buyer said: “When I am under pressure at work, I suck on the dummy. I feel I am indulged in a sense of safety from childhood.”
But doctors have warned of potential health hazards.
“The potential damage to customers’ mouths by the pacifiers is intentionally played down by their sellers,” Tang Caomin, a dentist in Chengdu, Sichuan province in southwestern China, was quoted as saying.
Using pacifiers over a long period may limit a person’s ability to open their mouth and cause pain when chewing, he said.
“By sucking the dummy for more than three hours a day, the position of your teeth might change after a year,” said Tang.
The doctor also warned that parts of the dummy could be inhaled while a person is asleep.

Zhang Mo, a psychologist in Chengdu, said the emotional needs of a person using a dummy may not be being met.
“The real solution is not to treat themselves as a child, but to face the challenge directly and to solve it,” she told the media.
This product has provoked a lively debate on mainland social media after being viewed 60 million times on one platform alone.
“This world has become so mad that adults are using pacifiers,” said one online observer.
“Is this not a kind of stupid tax?” joked another.


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Trending in China

Adult pacifiers trending in China for stress relief and sleep; doctors warn of health risks

Adult pacifiers are selling well in China and are being touted as stress relievers and aids to sleep. But doctors have warned of health risks. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote

Online shops claim the adult-sized dummies can help relieve stress and aid sleep. Photo: Handout

Some retailers claim the pacifiers can also help people stop smoking. Photo: Handout

The adult dummies are larger than those traditionally used by babies. Photo: Shutterstock

China courier puts sick daughter in delivery box while working as she can’t afford childcare

A Chinese mother has drawn online attention and sympathy after delivering food with her four-year-old daughter, who has a tumor, in a courier box.  Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Zhu feeds her four-year-old daughter between deliveries as she sits in the courier box. Photo: Douyin

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Little Nuoxi receives treatment at home. She was diagnosed with a tumour two years ago. Photo: Douyin

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Security guard Zhou collapsed and died after a riving early for his shift on July 15. Photo: Baidu

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The cramped dormitory where Zhou rested suffered from poor sanitation and had no air conditioning. Photo: Baidu

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Immigration agents swooped to arrest Tang in Los Angeles on July 19. Photo: Douyin

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News

People & Culture

Big dummies in an array of colours snapped up for as much as US$70 online as grown-ups try to deal with the strain of a ‘mad’ world


Big dummies in an array of colours snapped up for as much as US$70 online as grown-ups try to deal with the strain of a ‘mad’ world.


Health in China

Adult pacifiers trending in China for stress relief and sleep; doctors warn of health risks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Big dummies in an array of colours snapped up for as much as US$70 online as grown-ups try to deal with the strain of a ‘mad’ world

Big dummies in an array of colours snapped up for as much as US$70 online as grown-ups try to deal with the strain of a ‘mad’ world