'Are we so desperate as parents?': Viral egg crack challenge slammed

It goes like this: parent asks toddler to make eggs with them, toddler excitedly agrees, parent cracks raw egg on unsuspecting toddler’s forehead, toddler bursts into tears.

The golden rule of comedy is to always punch up.

In other words, don’t make someone with less power than you the butt of your joke, or it just won’t be very funny.

Take the viral TikTok “egg crack challenge” where parents invite their toddler to make eggs with them, only to use the toddler’s head as a surface to crack the egg.

In many of the videos, the parent laughs raucously, while the toddler’s reaction could be anything from tears, to looking confused and betrayed, to exclaiming, “What the f**k?!”.

Critics have joined the commentary online, claiming the parents are exploiting their kids for views.

“Poor baby, she looked so hurt and confused,” one person commented on a video of her mum and toddler girl.

“She looked really excited to cook with you too,” said another person. “You were the only one laughing.”

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Parents are cracking eggs on their kids foreheads for clicks. Photo: TikTok

Parents accused of destroying trust with viral egg cracking challenge

In one video, the little boy’s reaction is unexpected. “Hi guys,” he begins the video.

“We’re going to make daddy eggs,” his mum says, handing him an egg.

His cracking technique leaves something to be desired, but as he points out, there are no shells in the bowl.

Immediately after congratulating her son for a job well done, the mum takes an egg and smashes it on the little boy’s forehead. He’s shocked, but laughing, and she’s laughing too.

“What the f**k?!” he exclaims.

A mum who posts to TikTok as @mom.uncharted made a video in response to the trend. She regularly makes videos commenting on parents using children as social media content.

“I’ve been tagged in these videos and they go one of two ways,” she said in the clip.

“The kid gets the egg on the head, they’re confused a bit thrown off, think it’s a little funny and they move on. Or they get the head cracked on the head and they’re really upset about it and they freak out.

“When I see these videos I think, are we that bored as parents and desperate for content, 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 the views that was are now in 2023 cracking eggs on our children’s heads in the hopes that they will have an entertaining reaction that we can post online to entertain strangers?

“What are we doing? Why are we doing this?”

Many parents were critical of the trend, like @mum.uncharted. Photo: TikTok

“It looks like it hurts too!” one person responded.

“My dad was my first bully growing up,” another said. “He didn’t even realise it really. But our relationship will never be that great because of it.”

“I’d be upset if someone did that to me as an adult. Why would you do it to a kid?” a third person said. “Why do their feelings not matter?

Originally published as 'Are we so desperate as parents?': Viral egg crack challenge slammed