No one gaf its weird either way
I think in this case its a oral fixation thats soothing. Ive gone to school with skme 16-17yo who suck their thumbs just to chill out but otherwise they were comepletely their own age even until adulthood
I don't think it's age regression so much as it's something he lacked in his childhood that he now seeks comfort in.
It's like how some late teens to early adults will still suck their thumbs if they aren't really mindful of it or are tired. I've got a stuffed horse I've literally slept with every single night since I was 4 years old. I am now 32 lol the plushie gives me a sense of safety and comfort that my parents never provided during my developmental years.
Age regression refers to the act of mentally regressing back to a child or much younger age. Mannerisms, speech and even how they think becomes almost infantile as a means of coping. A lot of people mistake it for people who just act childish or use baby speech. There's a big difference and a lot of people misuse the term these days.
Also-- //squinting at your profile
You would be right only if the author didn't eroticize it to sell to perverts. Japanese men are incels and Japanese women are brainwashed by patriarchy, so they profit off minorities and kids.
This has nothing to do with age regression. Just a perverted, disgusting and deranged authors eroticizing mental illnesses and children.
I need people to understand that age regression (agere) and age play are two different things. Agere is a non-sexual coping mechanism where someone "regresses" to a younger mindset or behavior for comfort or stress relief, while age play is a sexual/kink-related roleplay where someone pretends to be a different age. Some people may participate in both, but the distinction is important.