Millions of people are watching dolls play online. What is going on?

We've all done it. Picked up a couple of dolls and acted out a scene. Maybe you played with Star Wars Legos, or your Barbies, or your stuffed animals. Your toys fought with lightsabers, went to work, had a tea party.

This behavior typically peters out after childhood. But millions of people are visiting #dolltiktok and specific TikTok accounts that feature all kinds of doll-centric storylines – from NSFW Sylvanian figurines to Barbie re-enactments of iconic scenes from pop culture. It's coinciding with a phenomenon called "kidulting," where toy companies are actively marketing dolls to adults.

What exactly is going on here? Experts say people – whether playing with dolls or simply watching – crave an outlet to express themselves, and these videos scratch that itch. This type of play can create a sense of community among those making and watching these videos.

"The use of figurines can allow for a person to channel or express one of their internal parts or modes but do so in a way that feels safer or more contained for them," says Amanda Garcia Torres, licensed mental health counselor at Chairwork Therapy NYC. "It is a great way to explore and express one's inner world."

Doll play fuels imagination

Angelie Ignacio is who you want to ask about adults and dolls – she's extensively researched the topic.

"For adults who collect and play with dolls, they derive satisfaction from doll play because they can engage in a creative activity – painting the doll, sewing clothes, photography, create videos – which is pleasurable and therapeutic in itself," the PhD student in developmental psychology and education at the University of Toronto says. "Additionally, it fuels their imagination."

Playing with dolls is considered a regression, in that it involves slipping back into childhood behavior to work out some inner tensions to project onto dolls (like, if your doll gets into a fight with its best friend). For the watcher, it may lean more innocent: "It's not only entertaining for them but also allows them, in a sense, to participate in the play," Ignacio adds.

How loss of connection is 'dangerous'

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Temple University, has grown concerned some of these videos may signal a loss of intimacy. "As we have become 'living alone together,' we more and more have lost social connection," she says. "And I think what you're seeing here is one substitute for it."

This focus on our phones only increased during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Coming off of COVID, a lot of years of loneliness, to be honest, we are searching for a way to connect," Hirsh-Pasek adds.

Some videos veer on violent or sexual, and may seem problematic to some viewers.

And whether it's worth going down a psychological rabbit hole is an individual's prerogative.

"It may actually feel therapeutic to tell your story through dolls, whether that's playing out what happened as a child or what just happened to you, like a breakup, that you're feeling bad about, and then getting other people's responses to it," Hirsh-Pasek says.

In case you missed:The swinging community hid in the shadows. Then came #SwingTok.

An alternative to playing with dolls

There's nothing wrong with laying in your bed and laughing at these videos. But don't forget your real-life friends as you get invested in imagination.

If you're looking for an escape from #dolltok, for example, "call a friend you haven't spoken to in a while and see if you can rekindle a little bit of human-to-human connection," Hirsh-Pasek says.

Or maybe send your friend the latest Sylvanian drama clip instead. Best of both worlds.

Sure:Dating horror story videos are taking over TikTok. Why?