The TikTok Egg Crack Challenge Is Parents at Their Worst

The TikTok Egg Crack Challenge is being called out—and rightfully so. Parents should find something more productive to do with their time

If you’ve been on parenting TikTok lately, you might have noticed a trend going around: the Egg Crack Challenge. It’s pretty much what it sounds like. Parents crack an egg on their kid’s head and record it to post online. It’s bizarre and mean-spirited, and parents—just, why?! Imagine all the positive memories you could be making with your kids instead of breaking eggs on their heads in the name of content.

Thankfully, the trend is garnering some criticism. Mom influencer @mom.uncharted sums it up pretty well in a video she posted to TikTok.

@mom.uncharted

Replying to @Abby Personally, I hate these types of trends. Kids are not props #socialmedia #trends #reply #challenges #eggcrackchallenge #eggchallenge #parents #parenting #prank #parentsoftiktok #imo #fyp

♬ original sound – mom.uncharted

“I’ve been tagged in a few of these videos and I’ve seen it go two ways,” she explains. “One, the kid gets the egg on the head, and they’re kind of confused, thrown off, thinks it’s a little funny. Then they move on. Or, they get the egg cracked on the head, and they’re really upset about it, and they freak out.”

Yeah, that’s usually how it goes.

@mom.uncharted continues, “But when I see those videos I think, are we that bored as parents and desperate for content? [Are we] needing something to post on the internet so bad because it is so consuming to be a part of this world—and the dopamine hit, and the likes, and views—that we are now in 2023 cracking eggs on our children’s heads in hopes that they have an entertaining reaction that we can post publicly online to entertain strangers?”

Bingo. If you’re someone who does things to your kids that confuse or upset them in the name of creating content for strangers to consume on the internet, you’re a jerk. Full stop. This trend has no point other than that. It’s parents at their worst, and it’s anything but amusing.