Viral Video Trend Of Parents Asking Their Kids To Back Them Up In A Fight Sparks Debate
Does this trend promote violence?
TikTok A new TikTok trend that consists of parents putting their children to the test originally started as a joke but has now garnered a bit of backlash.
The trend has gone viral on the video-sharing app and shows parents rushing up to their children and asking them to put on their shoes in order to fight a child outside for them.
TikTokers are sharing their kids' reaction to having to back them up in a fight.
The parent will tell their child that they are supposed to be fighting another parent who has brought their own child along as well.
While some of the children promptly reject their parents' request to fight another child, others are more enthusiastic and ready to defend their parents.
In one video, a mother walks up to her daughter and asks her to put her shoes on, telling her "I'm finna [sic] beat up this girl, and if her daughter jump [sic] in, I need you to handle her daughter. Let's go."
In response, the daughter leaps up from the couch, even tying her hair back to prepare for the imaginary fight.
In another video, a mother is telling her son, Malakai, that she "has to fight somebody" and she needs him "to fight their kid." The toddler-aged boy relents, asking his mother "where are dem [sic]?"
"They're coming here right now. Can you fight them for me?" she asks him, to which he responds, "yeah."
However, some children aren't as enthused as others when it comes down to fighting other children.
In one video, a father walks up to his son and tells him that he has to fight "this guy" and needs his son to step in if the other man's son tries to step in as well.
The man's son immediately shoots him down, simply replying "no" before continuing to play his video game.
In a second video, a mother walks up to her toddler-aged daughter, telling her that she needs to help fight the daughter of a woman that the mother has to fight.
The little girl looks confused, asking questions to her mother about the supposed fight.
Eventually, she agrees, but not before telling her mother that she is "scared."
Many people have reacted to the viral trend on Twitter, finding it hilarious after watching some children gear up to fight in an imaginary brawl.
"The trend on TikTok where parents tell their kids to put on their shoes because they about to fight someone and if they kid jump in they need their kid to fight is funny I'm sorry," one user wrote.
Though, some people are a bit warier about what kind of example a trend like this is setting for children.
"If my kid is too eager to get into a physical fight with another kid, I will start thinking I’m doing a poor job as a parent raising a violent kid," one user wrote.
Another user wrote that the trend "doesn't sit right with me," while someone else brought up that tricking a child into fighting could be "traumatic" for them.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.