“When I’m under pressure at work, I feel a sense of safety from childhood,” one buyer said.
BREAKING: Adults in China are sucking on pacifiers to soothe themselves and relieve stress, per NYP. pic.twitter.com/ar86F6xqCA
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) August 7, 2025
Thousands of young adults in China are turning to adult-sized pacifiers as stress relievers, replacing melatonin and meditation.
Sold on platforms like Taobao and JD.com for 10 to 500 yuan ($1.40–$70), they are marketed as sleep aids, smoking-cessation tools, and anxiety busters, with some sellers moving thousands monthly, the South China Morning Post reported.
“When I’m under pressure at work, I feel a sense of safety from childhood,” one buyer said.
Dentist Tang Caomin warned, “If you sleep with a pacifier in your mouth, it can interfere with breathing, and in the worst case, there is a risk of suffocation.”
The trend has spread to TikTok, where American users post videos using pacifiers during traffic, work, and burnout, defending them as effective stress tools.