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People Are Divided Over These Parents’ Punishment For Their TikTok-Obsessed Teen Daughter After A ‘Prank’ Gone Wrong
Ah, TikTok. What would the subreddit r/Cringetopia do without it? Yes, there is a good side to the platform but over the years, it has become a cesspool for garbage like fake relationship drama and abusive “pranks.” So when Redditor u/Substantial_Camel598 discovered her 13-year-old daughter contributing to it, the parent was ruthless.
You see, the girl decided to get views at her brother’s expense — the young TikToker shaved his head while the boy was calmly sleeping in his bed.
u/Substantial_Camel598 and her partner wanted to make it clear that such a thing is not OK, so the couple punished their daughter by replacing her smartphone with an ancient Nokia, taking away her laptop, and grounding her for a year (or until the boy’s hair grows back).
Some people in their immediate family, however, thought these measures were too much and started pressuring the parents to go easier on their kid. As doubts started creeping into the mom’s head, she turned to Reddit for advice.
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Image credits: Jenny Mealing (not the actual photo)
To learn more about it, we contacted u/Substantial_Camel598 and she agreed to dive a little deeper into the situation. “My daughter’s personality is hard to describe,” the mom told Bored Panda. “She behaves differently from day to day … [and can be] the kind of person who insults others because ‘it’s funny.’ To her, however, it’s all in good fun and she often talks behind other people’s backs. She’s not necessarily mean, but she is quite abrasive.”
Prior to the whole ordeal, the 13-year-old had a pretty normal relationship with her brother. “They’re not particularly close but they talked once or twice a day. Normally, if my daughter needed someone to vent to, she could do it to him, and my son, whilst he wasn’t very open about his own life, he tried his best to be a good older brother,” the mom explained. “My son himself is a good listener and not very open.”
As of our conversation with the Redditor, the girl still hasn’t made peace with the aftermath of the incident. She sometimes flat out refuses to speak to her parents and is even angrier at her brother because “she feels like he exaggerated his reaction to get her a more severe punishment.”
“She initially hid her phones and tried to hide her laptop but we found them and her laptop is locked up, and her phone is being sold, and we have bought a keypad Nokia. She is now begging us to accept her apology and not go through with the punishment but we’re holding firm,” u/Substantial_Camel598 said.
Most people think the punishment fits the crime
When it comes to disciplining a child, the most important thing is to do so without violence and cruel words — these things don’t work at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) advises that parents and caregivers should not spank or hit children. Instead of teaching responsibility and self-control, spanking actually does the opposite: it often increases aggression and anger in children. A study of children born in 20 medium to large U.S. cities discovered that families who used physical punishment got caught in a negative cycle: the more children were spanked, the more they misbehaved later, which prompted more spankings in response. Spanking’s effects may also be felt beyond the parent-child relationship — it sends the message that causing someone pain is OK if you’re frustrated. Even with those you love.
Parents who yell at children and use words to cause them emotional pain or shame are also in the wrong. Harsh verbal discipline, even by moms and dads who are otherwise warm and loving, can lead to serious issues. Research shows that harsh verbal discipline, which becomes more common as children get older, may lead to more behavior problems and symptoms of depression in teens.
But some say it’s too much
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Share on Facebook What do you think ?
Steffen Rehm 4 years ago
Why adult people thinks pranks are funny. And how do the believe, it could never get out of control? This entire family need a pep talk, not just the girl.
Carrie de Luka 4 years ago
The trouble with pranks is that the impact they can have on an individual varies enormously. For some there is that sudden jolt when you think a certain thing has happened and your body may get flooded with adrenaline to deal with it. Feels horrible in my opinion. People sometimes pretend that it was funny and that they were okay with it because they don't want to look like someone who can't take a joke. Then the pranksters often escalate what they'll do to get a reaction. Fine if people have agreed that they can play pranks on each other but I'm really not keen on it for anyone who is unsuspecting. It isn't about only being serious - there are many other ways of having fun.
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Carol Emory 4 years ago
Sorry, but you kind of created your own monster by pulling the pranks that you do on other people. You may have extra portions of food ready for the salt shaker joke, but you've basically shown your daughter that it's ok to be a jerk to someone else. How was she supposed to know the difference? My sister once convinced my mother that I lived in a different time zone even though we were only 110 miles apart. That's a harmless joke. But what you do are pranks that scare people or make them upset...there's nothing funny about that.
Otter 4 years ago
The best thing about this story is that although obviously the parents contributed to creating this little monster, they've added punishment for themselves onto the punishment for her! Yes, these jerks are going to have to spend the next year listening to the little pest whine and scream how IT'S NOT FAAAAAAIR, and they'll never be able to.pull another prank in front of their kids as long as they live.
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CatWoman312 4 years ago
First of all tiktok is NOT appropriate for a 13 year old. I’m 35 and have it. I think it should be adults only. You think predators and bullying is bad on Facebook? Haha. You’ve seen nothing. Secondly, I think the punishment should be no tiktok until she’s idk 16? I don’t really know an appropriate age it’s really a slippery slope there and ban from social media maybe a month OR she could agree to shave her head so she can empathize with what she did to her brother. Social media has really brought the narcissism out of people and it really should be heavily monitored on young people. What she did was flat out cruel.
Anna Banana 4 years ago
This thing needs more detail. Is she planning to somehow teach the daughter why what she did was wrong, or is the daughter supposed to just have a light bulb moment all on her own? From what I've read the mother is more focused on punishing rather than teaching. And is she encouraging her son to live his life with whatever haircut he has? Did she consider therapy for him? Because that boy seems to be struggling with self-image issues, and the mother sounds very overdramatic about this (I get that he considers his year ruined, but for her to agree just doesn't send the right signal).
Kari Panda 4 years ago
Genuine question, how could she teach the daughter that what she did was wrong? Apparently, the daughter sees no problem with what she did. I absolutely agree that we should teach children rather than just punish them, but in this situation, I would not know how.
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Aroace tiger (any pronouns) 4 years ago (edited)
NTA as someone who is 13 and love my hair I can see both sides. She's 13!!! She knows it was a d**k move and a year is 100% ok. She will develop social skills since schools are open or opening! A year without electronics should not be that hard and she completely destroyed her brothers confidence! She needs to be away from those bad influences - in this case ticktock
Laugh Fan 4 years ago
Well, bar the fact that she is quoted as saying in justification of her actions "it's just hair and you're not even a girl, get over it'. We've no actual proof that she knows it was a d!ck move at all - or that she is even slightly sorry. Her parents need to stamp on the view she has that hair only matters to girls as well. Glad I'm not the parent dealing with this I must admit.
Load More Replies...
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I worry more how this 13yo girl learned these things. A year in family therapy for all involved might be more useful.
Logic and Reason 4 years ago
Through Tik Tok, probably. Idiotic and life-changing pranks are wildly popular on there.
Load More Replies...
Rob Woodman 4 years ago
There’s lots bp doesn’t bother to tell us. : AITA for "going too far" with my punishment? He is in therapy. According to his actual therapist, who has undergone years of training, and is very well versed in this field, his state was fragile right now. He's been conditioned by years of treatment to feel like "less than" and that he can't get anything right. A couple months ago when something went wrong, my son would have responded "Well, this is my life, something has to go wrong" The therapist said that had he been able to live in his confident "perfect" self for even a couple of weeks, he would be far more able to handle adversity and overcome it. However in this stage his reaction was "Why is my life always s**t, why can't I just catch a single break for once" which is why the punishment is so harsh, it's not even just a year she's ruined, it may well be his mental health for the rest of his life. Even if not for his whole life, she just set back 3 years of therapy work.
E Bytes 4 years ago
Going to be honest, most “pranks” are not pranks. There’s negative consequences to even “harmless” pranks. I personally do not like pranks because that’s how the bullies who did mental, emotional and physical damage, would try to excuse what they did to myself and others. Some good examples of this are Sam Pepper, who sexually assaulted women and then men when people called him out for sexual assault. He thought people saw it as SA because he was doing it to women so he decided to also do it to men. His response was always “it’s just a prank” when the people he SA-Ed would confront him on what he did to them and he’d point to the camera recording. It’s not funny, even if the VICTIM tries to save face.
May 4 years ago
I'm with the ESH people. The parents set the tone and the 13yr old doesn't understand what 'going too far' means. Yes she should be punished - absolutely, but the parents need to grow up as well. And a year with no social life (so much of it is online for these kids) is way too harsh. No tiktok is fine, but friends are vital at that age
Sam Kunz 4 years ago
If it were a boy snuck into a girls room and did this to a sleeping girl. Would you be so dismissive? No. You would be enraged as the parents were. I think in addition to the punishment they meted out, she should be forced to delete her Tik Tok and all her posts that got views. Assault is not funny.
Load More Replies...
Isabella 4 years ago
I am on the fence here. Year grounding? waaay too long, and the kid does not understand why her prank was bad but mommys were ok. I am all for "eye for an eye" - she shaved her brother's har? Shave hers. Not shitty - shave her to 1mm neatly and donate her hair for cancer survivor wig. But also she needs The Talk about body autonomy, boundaries etc. And she should be sent to do some charity work with chemo kids to see how IMPORTANT hair are for people.
Steffen Rehm 4 years ago
Why adult people thinks pranks are funny. And how do the believe, it could never get out of control? This entire family need a pep talk, not just the girl.
Carrie de Luka 4 years ago
The trouble with pranks is that the impact they can have on an individual varies enormously. For some there is that sudden jolt when you think a certain thing has happened and your body may get flooded with adrenaline to deal with it. Feels horrible in my opinion. People sometimes pretend that it was funny and that they were okay with it because they don't want to look like someone who can't take a joke. Then the pranksters often escalate what they'll do to get a reaction. Fine if people have agreed that they can play pranks on each other but I'm really not keen on it for anyone who is unsuspecting. It isn't about only being serious - there are many other ways of having fun.
Load More Replies... Carol Emory 4 years ago
Sorry, but you kind of created your own monster by pulling the pranks that you do on other people. You may have extra portions of food ready for the salt shaker joke, but you've basically shown your daughter that it's ok to be a jerk to someone else. How was she supposed to know the difference? My sister once convinced my mother that I lived in a different time zone even though we were only 110 miles apart. That's a harmless joke. But what you do are pranks that scare people or make them upset...there's nothing funny about that.
Otter 4 years ago
The best thing about this story is that although obviously the parents contributed to creating this little monster, they've added punishment for themselves onto the punishment for her! Yes, these jerks are going to have to spend the next year listening to the little pest whine and scream how IT'S NOT FAAAAAAIR, and they'll never be able to.pull another prank in front of their kids as long as they live.
Load More Replies... CatWoman312 4 years ago
First of all tiktok is NOT appropriate for a 13 year old. I’m 35 and have it. I think it should be adults only. You think predators and bullying is bad on Facebook? Haha. You’ve seen nothing. Secondly, I think the punishment should be no tiktok until she’s idk 16? I don’t really know an appropriate age it’s really a slippery slope there and ban from social media maybe a month OR she could agree to shave her head so she can empathize with what she did to her brother. Social media has really brought the narcissism out of people and it really should be heavily monitored on young people. What she did was flat out cruel.
Anna Banana 4 years ago
This thing needs more detail. Is she planning to somehow teach the daughter why what she did was wrong, or is the daughter supposed to just have a light bulb moment all on her own? From what I've read the mother is more focused on punishing rather than teaching. And is she encouraging her son to live his life with whatever haircut he has? Did she consider therapy for him? Because that boy seems to be struggling with self-image issues, and the mother sounds very overdramatic about this (I get that he considers his year ruined, but for her to agree just doesn't send the right signal).
Kari Panda 4 years ago
Genuine question, how could she teach the daughter that what she did was wrong? Apparently, the daughter sees no problem with what she did. I absolutely agree that we should teach children rather than just punish them, but in this situation, I would not know how.
Load More Replies... Aroace tiger (any pronouns) 4 years ago (edited)
NTA as someone who is 13 and love my hair I can see both sides. She's 13!!! She knows it was a d**k move and a year is 100% ok. She will develop social skills since schools are open or opening! A year without electronics should not be that hard and she completely destroyed her brothers confidence! She needs to be away from those bad influences - in this case ticktock
Laugh Fan 4 years ago
Well, bar the fact that she is quoted as saying in justification of her actions "it's just hair and you're not even a girl, get over it'. We've no actual proof that she knows it was a d!ck move at all - or that she is even slightly sorry. Her parents need to stamp on the view she has that hair only matters to girls as well. Glad I'm not the parent dealing with this I must admit.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I worry more how this 13yo girl learned these things. A year in family therapy for all involved might be more useful.
Logic and Reason 4 years ago
Through Tik Tok, probably. Idiotic and life-changing pranks are wildly popular on there.
Load More Replies... Rob Woodman 4 years ago
There’s lots bp doesn’t bother to tell us. : AITA for "going too far" with my punishment? He is in therapy. According to his actual therapist, who has undergone years of training, and is very well versed in this field, his state was fragile right now. He's been conditioned by years of treatment to feel like "less than" and that he can't get anything right. A couple months ago when something went wrong, my son would have responded "Well, this is my life, something has to go wrong" The therapist said that had he been able to live in his confident "perfect" self for even a couple of weeks, he would be far more able to handle adversity and overcome it. However in this stage his reaction was "Why is my life always s**t, why can't I just catch a single break for once" which is why the punishment is so harsh, it's not even just a year she's ruined, it may well be his mental health for the rest of his life. Even if not for his whole life, she just set back 3 years of therapy work.
E Bytes 4 years ago
Going to be honest, most “pranks” are not pranks. There’s negative consequences to even “harmless” pranks. I personally do not like pranks because that’s how the bullies who did mental, emotional and physical damage, would try to excuse what they did to myself and others. Some good examples of this are Sam Pepper, who sexually assaulted women and then men when people called him out for sexual assault. He thought people saw it as SA because he was doing it to women so he decided to also do it to men. His response was always “it’s just a prank” when the people he SA-Ed would confront him on what he did to them and he’d point to the camera recording. It’s not funny, even if the VICTIM tries to save face.
May 4 years ago
I'm with the ESH people. The parents set the tone and the 13yr old doesn't understand what 'going too far' means. Yes she should be punished - absolutely, but the parents need to grow up as well. And a year with no social life (so much of it is online for these kids) is way too harsh. No tiktok is fine, but friends are vital at that age
Sam Kunz 4 years ago
If it were a boy snuck into a girls room and did this to a sleeping girl. Would you be so dismissive? No. You would be enraged as the parents were. I think in addition to the punishment they meted out, she should be forced to delete her Tik Tok and all her posts that got views. Assault is not funny.
Load More Replies... Isabella 4 years ago
I am on the fence here. Year grounding? waaay too long, and the kid does not understand why her prank was bad but mommys were ok. I am all for "eye for an eye" - she shaved her brother's har? Shave hers. Not shitty - shave her to 1mm neatly and donate her hair for cancer survivor wig. But also she needs The Talk about body autonomy, boundaries etc. And she should be sent to do some charity work with chemo kids to see how IMPORTANT hair are for people.
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