The idea of boba pearls and bits in tea freaked me out for years and I never got around to trying it. My then four year old developed a liking for the stuff and I finally got around to giving it a go. Am now a convert and will even cook the tapioca pearls at home.

Turns out lots of children and young adults are becoming big fans and I don't think they will just suddenly grow out of it. Revelation for me is that you can add fermented "nata de coco" jelly bits or basil seeds into a wide range of drinks and my liquid-phobe daughter magically gulps huge quantities down. Neither Philippine "nata de coco" nor basil seeds are particularly fattening nor bad for you, quite the opposite.
Bubble tea has been a huge hit in Germany and is rapidly gaining in popularity in Britain. I understand it is very popular in Canada, particularly as those who are too young to drink alcohol can hang around in bubble tea bars until the small hours of the morning.

Am sure the current boom will implode, but that's just the market's way of pruning out the low quality suppliers as customers become more aware and more demanding. I don't think it's anywhere close to being "on the way out" yet.