Kidult

[5] The concept of the "Peter Pan syndrome" or "puer aeternus" indeed refers to individuals who resist or avoid the responsibilities and challenges associated with adulthood, choosing to remain in a state of emotional or psychological immaturity.

[3] The entertainment industry was quick to recognize the trend, and introduced a special category, "kidult", of things marketable for kids and adults alike.

[1][11] Enormous successes of films such as Shrek and Harry Potter,[12] of animated television series such as My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic the target demographic of young girls, of young adult fiction books traditionally targeted for teenagers[13] and the fact that Disneyland is among the world's top adult (without kids) vacation destinations[1] seem to indicate that "kidulthood" is a rather mainstream phenomenon.

Kidulthood also appears to exist on the Internet, with grown adults treating each other like children, especially in discussion on X (Twitter), by calling people "homegirl", "girlie", and "sweetie".

[1] When Christopher Noxon appeared on The Colbert Report on June 29, 2006, to promote his book Rejuvenile, he remarked that "There's a big difference between childish and childlike".

[14] In South Korea, the buzzword 키덜트; kideolteu was used in 2015, highlighting the market trend of increasing toy sales (such as drones and "electric wheels") to adults.

[17] More recently, the release of the Barbie movie in 2023 as well as the sudden popularity in the Barbiecore aesthetic and a general boost in adoration of the franchise has sparked a wave of people, specifically women, reconnecting with their youth and their childhoods.

[24][26] These outfits were typically worn during kidult activities, such as dance parties with floors filled with inflatable toys[24] and breakfast cereal cafés.

[29] Celebrity men like Ryan Reynolds,[30] Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, and Frank Ocean were seen wearing beaded kidult jewelry in the 2020s.