A Swedish mom was fined $2000 for cracking an egg on her daughter as part of a viral TikTok Trend.
Image: Pexels.
A TONGUE-LASHING and a R35 000 damages bill is what a 24-year-old Swedish mother received for making her young daughter the subject on the receiving end of her trending video shared on TikTok.
The mother got caught up with the TikTok trend of cracking raw eggs on unsuspecting family members' heads.
In this instance, the mother showed the world with her online video how her daughter ended up with egg on her forehead.
For her effort in taking a joke too far, the woman was convicted on an harassment charge.
While the mother might have believed that she was enjoying a light-hearted moment with her child, the prank raised significant ethical questions about the use of children in viral stunts.
Although the daughter did not initiate the complaint, an anonymous tip-off prompted authorities to investigate, culminating in a court ruling that deemed the act "degrading" and "reckless".
Prosecutor Emma Olsson did not hold back in her condemnation of the prank, stating: "You simply don’t do that to a child. To record and humiliate the child and then broadcast it to thousands of viewers … I find that incredibly degrading. It’s a reckless act."
Her words reflect a growing concern over the permissibility of using children as props in parental content, particularly in today's digital landscape, where viral trends can easily spiral out of control.
The court agreed with Olsson's sentiments, ordering the mother to pay her daughter SEK 20,000 (approximately R35 000) in damages, however, the mother maintains that the stunt was common harmless fun.
Critics are now scrutinising the implications of such pranks, with many debating whether children should be treated as vehicles for their parents' digital ambitions.
Social media reactions to this case have been mixed, with some weighing in with empathy for children who have influencer parents.
@tayja_moore stated, “I feel bad for the kids with influencer moms that can't give consent to anything regardless of how 'innocent'.”
@mariaryankadem said: "👏👏👏 this! The only cracking eggs content we should see is parents teaching kids to cook ❤️."
@the.memento.mori.project wrote: "Sad that so many people exploit their children at the prospect of 'going viral'."
Meanwhile, @austingizinski5 commented, "Too many soft people these days."
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