Poverty is a social evil that has been lurking around for quite some years now. A lot of people are poor in this world. In fact, in 2024, out of the global population, over 700 million people live in extreme poverty. When people are already going through turbulent times, it can be difficult to raise children.

And there are some people who share this view. For instance, the TikTok we are going to talk about. He reacted to a woman who said that poor people should not have children as it’s essentially child mistreatment. The TikToker agreed with her and explained his perspective. It started an online debate and he went viral, gaining 1.2 million views.

More info: TikTok

Recently, a TikToker reacted to a woman and said, “Poor people should not have children as it’s essentially child mistreatment”

Image credits: neurodivergent_nate (not the actual photo)

He expresses his personal opinion that love cannot buy the basic things necessary to survive and poor parents can’t afford to provide their children with these

Image credits: neurodivergent__nate (not the actual photo)

In the story, the TikTok user Neurodivergent Nate reacted to a woman who said, “Poor people should not have children. Having children when you are in poverty essentially is child mistreatment.” He agreed with this woman and then went on to express his perspective on the matter.

The original poster (OP) said that such people say they have all the love in the world, but according to him, “Love is not a currency around the world that can buy health care, can pay your rent, can buy food.” This appears to be true as the basic needs for survival all require money, not love. And, although inflation is forecast to decline from 6.8% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024, we can’t deny that it’s prevalent in many parts of the world.

Image credits: Loren Castillo (not the actual photo)

He continued that poverty is a generational pattern and people born in poverty are more likely to stay in poverty. This fact has also been proved by the National Center for Children in Poverty. If you look at the situation of the world, it’s very sad, but it’s the truth that this TikToker has spoken about. 

Another aspect that he discussed was the lack of health care that poor people have. He emphasized, “You don’t get to pick and choose how your child is brought into this world.” And if poor parents have a child with disabilities, tending to them becomes really tough. He finds it difficult to believe that people with no savings and no consistent income, who can’t even pay their rent, want to have kids and take on their responsibilities.

Image credits: Naomi Shi (not the actual photo)

He has three bunnies and he puts all their needs before his own, while also keeping up with daily chores, but he says some poor people don’t even work and still don’t spend time with their kids

OP also compared him and his three bunnies with poor parents and their kids. He said, “Their needs get put before my needs, anytime.” He regularly looks after the bunnies, making sure they get time outdoors and ensuring they eat a healthy diet, while also showering them with cuddles for 15-20 minutes every day.

But that’s not all. He also manages everything in the house like cooking and cleaning, along with pursuing a PhD program. So, he finds it baffling that poor people who don’t work don’t even spend time with their kids, whom they can’t afford in the first place. And their ignorance towards their kids, according to him, is child cruelty.

To get an expert perspective, Bored Panda reached out to Riddhi Shah, a psychologist at Manah Center For Mental Well Being. According to her, “Poverty usually also translates to parental absence and neglect towards children. It’s like leaving a plant to grow by itself without the watering or care it requires. While some children might seem to get through it well, there is passive psychological damage done, nevertheless.”

She also mentioned that the lack of parental attention could lead to anxious or insecure attachments in life, feelings of being unworthy with low self-esteem, and difficulties in education which could comprehensively force the child to turn towards unhealthy ways of coping like doing substances, violence, self-harm, or isolation.

Image credits: NessTheGamer (not the actual photo)

To understand the difficulties in education these children might face, we also interviewed Anjali Abigail Vipparti. She’s a teacher mentor at a non-profit organization, Enabling Leadership, where she works with educators who teach leadership skills to children from low-income families. 

She narrated, “There are poor families who create a very loving home for their children and these children can be very kind, loving, self-sufficient, and resilient. But some families do struggle with a lot of issues and are not able to pay attention to their children, this is visible in their grades and attitude towards studies more than direct mental health.”

“They don’t have any support at home to help them navigate the challenges of reading and writing. Sometimes, they find themselves in the vicious cycle of always trying to cover up gaps as many resources are not readily available to them.” Due to all these struggles they face, kids are not able to gain quality education.

According to UNICEF, “Without quality education, children face considerable barriers to employment later in life. They are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes and less likely to participate in decisions that affect them—threatening their ability to shape a better future for themselves.” 

However, that’s not always the case. While many online peeps spoke for the TikToker, there were also some who spoke against him. They mentioned how they have come from poverty-stricken families yet have a good life. Riddhi also said, “I do agree that conscious and mindful parenting even in poverty could lead to a conducive environment for the upbringing of the child. But seeing the real-life scenario, the possibility of that seems meager!”

The divided comments from the netizens and the arguments that erupted made the video by the TikToker viral. And we want to know your thoughts on the matter. Have you (or anyone you know) survived through such tough situations? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments!

Many people agreed with the TikToker, but some disagreed and expressed how they grew up in poverty and still did better

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