On TikTok, parents have been posting videos of themselves cracking eggs on their young kids’ heads … [+]
Umm, this isn’t something that you should be egging on others to do. Nevertheless, on TikTok, parents have been posting videos of themselves cracking eggs on their young kids’ heads that are accompanied by hashtags like #eggprank and #eggcrackchallenge. Yes, that’s right, they’ve been using the noggins of their toddlers and other youngsters to crack open the shells of chicken eggs before pouring the yolk and egg whites into bowls or pans. Now, many of these kids may have been too young to vocalize their feelings about what just happened. But their resulting facial expressions haven’t typically been like “Thank you, Mom or Dad. This really shows me that you care.” No, instead, they’ve looked more like “Umm what”, “WTF”, “Oh no you didn’t” or even “Oh, the horror,” facial expressions. After all, as a youngster, you probably wouldn’t expect your mom or dad to use your head as a countertop.
There are many eggs-amples of such videos on TikTok, enough to make an IHOP-full of scrambles and omelets. For example, here’s a @dailyeditions compilation of some of these:
In fact, #eggprank has already gotten over 670.7 million views. That certainly qualifies all of this as a TikTok trend.
But before you blindly follow what’s on social media and release the cracking on your kid’s head, maybe, just maybe—oh, how shall we say it—you shouldn’t be cracking freaking eggs on your kid’s head. It may seem funny at the time. It may seem innocent. It may elicit a meme-able reaction from your kid that can give you and others plenty of entertainment. But there are reasons why you don’t go cracking eggs on the head of your boss, your date or a police officer. The same reasons should apply to your kid. And then some.
First of all, there’s the Salmonella risk. This bacteria could be sitting on the eggshell as well as in the the yolk or egg whites that you could end up leaving on your kids’ head. A Salmonella infection is not a fun thing to have. Your kid is not going to say, “Worth it” should he or she suffer through four to seven days of gastrointestinal misery just so that you can have some fun. As I’ve described previously for Forbes, if Salmonella makes it down your yapper, it can cause bloody awful diarrhea, literally and figuratively. Besides a fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and headaches, a Salmonella infection can result in loose stool that often has blood in it that begins six to 72 hours after the bacteria goes down the hatch.
For some folks, a Salmonella infection can be even worse, resulting in potentially life-threatening complications. And take a wild guess as to what kinds of people might be more susceptible to even more severe Salmonella infections? Yep, young kids.
Secondly, an egg ain’t exactly a Build-A-Bear. It isn’t soft and cuddly. It can be surprisingly hard. That’s why you have to crack an egg rather than coax or tease it open. Sure, an egg may not be as hard as a barbell or even a doorbell. Nevertheless, an egg moving at egg-cracking velocity towards a head could still cause some injury, especially if your child’s skull hasn’t fully developed yet.
What kind of messages might you sending to your young kid’s brain when you startle him or her with … [+]
Finally, what kind of messages might you sending to your young kid’s brain when you startle him or her with this prank? You would essentially be using your youngster just to get some belly laughs from you and others and potentially random strangers on social media. That’s not exactly the best thing to do to build self-esteem in your kid. Plus, might you be teaching your kid, “Never relax because you never know when an egg might be hurtling towards your head” in a way that may leave your kid a bit too hypervigilant and anxious? Or could this essentially be telling your kid, “It’s OK if people use you as a kitchen counter,” in a manner that may allow your kid to accept even worse treatment in the future?
Now, some may say, “What’s the big deal? It’s all in good fun.” Again, think about what would happen if you tried this on another adult like someone you met on Tinder, Gothic Match or some other dating site. And then consider the fact that your young child doesn’t have the same ability that an adult has to process what just happened. It could leave your child rather confused and misinterpreting your actions. Even if your child does end up rolling with it, why risk any negative effects? After all, the short-term amusement and social media cred that you may get from this egg prank isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.