Parenting experts would like a word.
A new viral trend has taken over TikTok, and it’s not exactly an egg-cellent idea. (We had to throw in a least one pun.) In the #eggcrackchallenge, parents crack eggs on their toddlers’ heads and film their reactions. Parents literally crack a (potentially salmonella-filled) egg on their babies’ and toddlers’ soft skulls, and laugh as the yolk dribbles down their faces.
We watched some of these videos so that you don’t have to and can report that the reactions from these children tend to oscillate between abject surprise and immediate (and completely understandable) meltdown. As the challenge garners millions and millions of fans, it’s also garnering a heavy amount of flack.
Here’s the lowdown on this absurd challenge, and the brilliant response one influencer gave to all this hullabaloo.
Why the egg-cracking TikTok trend has parenting experts concerned
The #eggcrackchallenge on TikTok has become an overnight sensation. Millions of videos have been posted to the network with the hashtag attached and the hashtag #eggcrackchallenge has 56.1 million views on TikTok — which has more than a few early childhood experts concerned.
One such expert is Amanda Mathers, a pediatric occupational therapist who shares her expertise to over 500,000 TikTok followers under the handle yourpediatricot. “I got super emotional watching all the videos from this trend,” she said, in a recent video responding to the challenge. “Children are constantly watching and learning from you as parents…and you are teaching them that hitting someone in the head with an object is acceptable and funny.”
She went on, “The worst part is that most of you watched your child cry in response to embarrassment and pain, and you laughed in their face. Guys, this is bullying, and they will grow up…and either become a bully themselves, or become a victim because they don’t feel safe communicating this or understand that this is not an acceptable behavior.”
Mathers ended the video by encouraging parents to not use their children’s “embarrassment and pain as a way to entertain people on the internet.”
Another beloved parenting source known as Ms. Rachel explained to her 3.2 million followers why she was concerned about the trend. “I’ve seen little ones say, ‘I didn’t like that, that hurt’… but then, when the parents are laughing, what does that say to them if when they stand up for themselves, it’s not taken seriously?”
As for the physical danger of the challenge, it’s worth noting that children and infants are the most likely to ingest salmonella bacteria and become ill from it. According to Children’s Minnesota, one of the largest free-standing pediatric health systems in the United States, approximately 12,500 cases of salmonella-related illnesses are reported in children each year — but those numbers were recorded before a viral trend encouraging parents to shove yolks in their children’s faces took off.
One parent offers a perfect alternative to the #eggcrackchallenge
As the enthusiasm (and accompanying criticism) around this bizarre challenge have slowly ramped up, one parent has offered up an elegant solution to the controversy.
Nika Diwa, an influencer with 2.4 million followers, started a TikTok video with the seeming intent of cracking an egg on her young daughter’s face. Right as she was about to do it, though, she paused and said to her daughter, “How would you feel if I cracked this on your head? Would you like that?”
Her daughter said, “No.”
Diwa continued, “Are eggs for hitting or for cooking?”
Her daughter said, “Cooking.”
Diwa then turned her attention to the camera and said, “I don’t know what you guys are doing. Y’all have to understand that these are babies, and they follow everything that you are doing. If you are showing them that it’s OK for an adult to hit a child…how are you going to get upset when they’re hitting someone at daycare or at school? Stop hitting your kids’ heads with eggs.”
