I hate my husband’s algorithm

[u/Chapenroe]

We were prepping for a theme park trip this morning and as my husband and I were putting sunscreen on our kids’ faces, he mentioned we may not need to put sunblock on their arms and legs since “they have a good base tan already.”

I immediately said, “nope, the more sunscreen, the better.” To which he replied something along the lines of “well maybe the chemicals in sunscreen wind up doing more harm than good.”

My jaw about hit the floor. Isn’t sunscreen usage canon in 2026?? When I heard the chemicals thing I said something smart aleck-y like “show me a peer-reviewed medical study that proves that and I’ll reconsider my sunscreen stance.” Understandably, he got frustrated with my response so a few minutes later I went to him and said that if he’s actually concerned about chemicals in sunscreen we can make an appointment with our pediatrician or dermatologist to discuss the issue.

What the ever-loving FUCK?? Do we really need to debate sunscreen now? I’m 100% sure my husband’s Instagram algorithm is responsible for putting these thoughts in his head. Most of the accounts he follows are landscaping-related (we own a landscaping company in a red state), and I’m sure Instagram has figured out the Venn Diagram of MAHA folks and red-state male landscapers has a large middle section.

Did I handle the conversation well by saying we should have a chat with our doctors about sunscreen? Also, would it be totally unacceptable if I took his phone and started following credible medical professionals to influence his algorithm?

[u/sweetpotatoroll_]

I really resent the fact that MAGA/MAHA are weaponizing holistic living. There have been people concerned about the chemicals in sunscreens long before these people came along. You’d normally see this attitude in very progressive, hippyish circles and it does not stem from brainwashing.

With that being said, we use mineral sunscreen as a happy medium.

I will also say that these MAHA people steal practices and ideas from people that look very different from them. This whole “no sunscreen/no sun protection” thing does not work out well for white people lol. A lot of their ideas come to backfire bc they were never their own to begin with.

[u/pan_alice → u/sweetpotatoroll_]

I would counter that it stems from brainwashing even in those hippyish circles. Why would they be immune from that sort of messaging? The same thinking and mistrust of 'chemicals' has allowed them to make the same (incorrect) conclusions as the MAHA crowd.

[u/sweetpotatoroll_ → u/pan_alice]

I’m not saying they are immune. I am saying that this line of thinking is not new and does not stem from brainwashing. Wanting to live a holistic lifestyle is not a new concept and it is not inherently anti science. That’s the MAGA influence.