WitchTok - Gen Z’s Witchcraft Revolution

#WitchTok exploded on TikTok in 2019-2020, becoming one of the platform’s largest spiritual communities with 45B+ views by 2023, democratizing witchcraft education while sparking debates about cultural appropriation, misinformation, and “baby witch” consumerism.

TikTok’s Perfect Witch Platform

TikTok’s algorithm and format suited witchcraft content:

• Short tutorials: “How to make moon water in 30 seconds”
• Visual aesthetics: Spell jars, candles, crystals, tarot cards
• Niche discovery: Algorithm connecting isolated seekers
• Low production barriers: Anyone could share practices, democratizing gatekept knowledge
• Community identity: #WitchTok created belonging for spiritual misfits

Unlike Instagram’s polished aesthetic witchcraft, TikTok’s raw authenticity allowed imperfect, messy, experimental magic—closer to actual practice than curated photo shoots.

The Baby Witch Phenomenon (2020)

“Baby witch” (beginner practitioner) became primary WitchTok identity during 2020 pandemic. Millions of isolated teenagers and young adults explored witchcraft as:

• Control mechanism: Rituals providing illusion of agency during uncontrollable times
• Community: Finding chosen family in spiritual practice
• Rebellion: Alternative spirituality rejecting traditional religion
• Empowerment: Magic framing personal power and intention

Experienced practitioners offered beginner tutorials: cleansing techniques, protection spells, kitchen witchery, green witchcraft (plants/herbs), crystal basics, moon phase magic, tarot for beginners.

The Hex/Curse Discourse

WitchTok periodically erupted in drama:

Moon hexing incident (2020): Baby witches claimed to hex the moon (or faeries, depending on version), angering experienced practitioners who warned of spiritual consequences. The incident became meme, highlighting tensions between TikTok’s casual approach and traditional practitioners’ seriousness.

Celebrity hexing: Creators discussed hexing abusers, politicians, or oppressors. Debates emerged: Is cursing ethical? Does “harm none” (Wiccan Rede) apply to self-defense? Can witches use magic for activism?

Binding spells: WitchTok witches performed collective binding rituals during 2020 election and social justice movements, attempting magical intervention in political events.

Cultural Appropriation Controversies

WitchTok faced ongoing appropriation critiques:

• Smudging/white sage: Non-Native practitioners using Indigenous ceremonies
• Brujeria: Non-Latinx people practicing Mexican/Latin American folk magic
• Hoodoo/rootwork: White practitioners appropriating African-American spiritual traditions
• Chakras/yoga: Misuse of Hindu/Buddhist concepts without cultural context

BIPOC creators educated about closed practices (requiring cultural heritage or initiation) versus open practices (accessible to anyone). Comment sections became battlegrounds between defenders of “all magic is for everyone” and advocates for respecting cultural origins.

Misinformation & Safety Concerns

The low barrier to content creation enabled misinformation spread:

• Dangerous “spells”: Recommending toxic plants, unsafe fire practices, ingesting harmful substances
• Spiritual bypassing: Magic replacing therapy or medical care
• Financial scams: Fake “authentic” practitioners selling overpriced services
• Fear-mongering: Warning of curses, entities, or dark consequences for clicks

Experienced practitioners combated misinformation through duets, stitches, and educational content, but algorithmic amplification often favored dramatic claims over accurate information.

Aesthetic Witch vs Practice

Critics noted WitchTok’s focus on aesthetic (candles, crystals, pretty altars) over actual practice, spiritual development, or cultural understanding. “Witchy” became aesthetic commodity—buying products instead of cultivating skills, knowledge, or relationships with land/spirits.

The tension: Was WitchTok democratizing gatekept spiritual knowledge or commodifying and diluting complex traditions into consumable content?

Business Boom

WitchTok drove sales:

• Spell kits: $20-60 pre-packaged ritual supplies
• Grimoires/Books of Shadows: $15-40 blank journals for recording spells
• Crystals & herbs: Etsy shops earning $50K-500K+ annually
• Courses: $97-497 witchcraft programs from TikTok-famous practitioners
• Apps: Spell databases, moon phase trackers, tarot apps

Amazon’s “Witchcraft Supplies” category exploded. Target and Urban Outfitters stocked spell candles, tarot decks, and altar tools.

Sources:

• TikTok #WitchTok view count 45B+ by 2023
• The Guardian: “The Rise of WitchTok” (2020)
• Vox: “Why Witchcraft Is Having a Moment” (2020)
• Etsy marketplace data for witchcraft supplies (2019-2023)