About

An Adult Pacifier is a type of pacifier, usually oversized, that is made for adult use rather than for babies, to assist in dealing with a variety of issues, including anxiety, stress, trouble sleeping and to help quit smoking. While adults have used pacifiers throughout the 2000s as a fashion accessory, notably during raves, as a coping mechanism and as a fetish accessory, adult pacifiers purportedly started trending on Chinese social media in mid-2025 as a way of coping with stress. The uptick in the use of adult pacifiers was widely reported on by Western media in August 2025, inspiring discourse and memes. Some people online refer to their adult pacifiers as their "paci."

History

It is unclear exactly when the trend of adult pacifiers began to rise.

In the late 90s throughout the 2000s, adults began using pacifiers at raves as both a fashion accessory and to quell the effects of drugs like MDMA, which can cause teeth grinding.^[1][2]

Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, the use of pacifiers in relation to "ageplay" fetishes became more popular online. Adult use of a pacifier is also seen as a form of age regression and has been used by people to deal with trauma.^[3]

Throughout the 2020s, people began using pacifiers more commonly to cope with stress and anxiety. For example, on December 13th, 2023, TikToker^[4] @thebentist, a dentist, responded to a video of a girl recommending the use of a pacifier to deal with anxiety, the dentist suggesting against it for the damage it can do to your teeth.

2025 Adult Pacifier Trend In China

In August 2025, the media began reporting on the growing trend of adults in China using oversized pacifiers as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety and for other issues, such as to help quit smoking and aid in sleep. Purportedly, videos of people using pacifiers were being uploaded to Chinese social media sites like RedNote and Douyin.

On August 6th, 2025, Vice^[5] published an article on the trend, discussing the various shops that now sell adult pacifiers.

News of the trend spread that month, with some criticizing the idea of adults using pacifiers. For example, on August 8th, the Daily Beast^[6] reported on Fox News' coverage of the trend, where they largely made fun of the idea and Jesse Walters sucked on a pacifier during the show.

On August 11th, ChinaDaily^[7] published a report titled "Adult pacifier trend sparks efficacy debate."

Online Presence

The presence of adult pacifiers became more popular online throughout the 2020s on sites like TikTok, often in the context of being used to deal with stress or as a form of age regression. Adult pacifiers in general saw increased interest in mid-2025 as they trended in China.

For example, TikToker^[8] @wittlegirl became notably popular throughout the 2020s for her age regression videos, which tend to feature her using a pacifier. On May 13th, 2021, she uploaded a video featuring her adult pacifier, garnering over 1.5 million views in four years.

On August 11th, TikToker^[9] @dougiesharpe posted a video about China's growing use of adult pacifiers, garnering over 200,000 views in three days.

Search Interest

External References