Parents Terrifying Their Toddlers with Snapchat Filters: A New Level of Parenting Fail

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It can be quite tempting to prank kids, especially when their reactions are often downright funny. However, a recent trend involving spooky Snapchat filters might be crossing a line.

A while back, Snapchat introduced some wild filters that let users transform into everything from a rainbow-spewing version of themselves to a truly frightening demon that could haunt your dreams. Seriously, have you seen these? They can be pretty unsettling.

Naturally, some parents thought it’d be hilarious to use these creepy filters to scare their little ones. If you hop onto YouTube and search for “scared kid on Snapchat,” you’ll find a bunch of videos where parents gleefully terrify their toddlers, laughing as the kids cry or try to hide. It’s heartwarming, right? Like this gem here:

But hold on, not everyone finds this amusing. While some people are all for it, others, like me, think this kind of prank is a bit much. Playing tricks on kids isn’t inherently bad, but there’s definitely a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Most of these kids are preschoolers, which means they don’t really grasp what’s real and what’s not. They may not even realize that those terrifying images aren’t real.

Dr. Emily Rivers, a child psychologist, suggests that children under seven often struggle to differentiate between fantasy and reality, even when you tell them it’s just a joke. That’s why reassuring a scared child that monsters aren’t real doesn’t help much when they’re genuinely frightened. As adults, we can usually shake off scary things, but kids—especially toddlers—aren’t equipped to do that.

This isn’t to say that kids should never feel scared or that playful pranks make you a terrible parent. It’s all about knowing where to draw the line. If your child is genuinely crying and scared, it’s probably gone too far. If you keep shoving your phone in their face for more scares, that’s just not cool. It’s fine to have fun with your kids, but we shouldn’t violate their comfort for a laugh.

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In summary, while scaring kids can be entertaining, parents need to be mindful of their boundaries. The goal should be to create fun memories, not traumatic experiences.