Swedish mother fined $2k for TikTok egg prank on young daughter – court rules it as harassment: 'I find that incredibly degrading and...'

A Swedish mother has been fined approximately $2,070 for participating in a viral TikTok prank that sparked outrage after being seen as a form of child humiliation. The prank, which involved cracking a raw egg on her young daughter's forehead, has drawn widespread criticism and raised important questions about the ethics of using children in social media content. The ruling, issued by the Helsingborg District Court, marks a significant legal response to a growing trend that has seen parents unwittingly cross the line from playful pranks to emotional harm.The incident occurred in 2023 in the coastal city of Helsingborg, Sweden, when a 24-year-old mother decided to film a seemingly lighthearted moment with her daughter. The mother told the child they would bake an apple cake together, creating an atmosphere of excitement and bonding. However, during the filming, the mother unexpectedly cracked a raw egg directly onto her daughter's forehead, causing the yolk to drip down her face.The moment, captured on camera, was shared on TikTok, where it quickly amassed around 100,000 views. The video showed the young girl’s shock and discomfort, sparking a wave of online criticism. Many viewers expressed outrage, arguing that the prank crossed the line from harmless fun to public humiliation.The prank was part of a broader TikTok trend in which parents pretended to crack eggs into bowls, only to break them on their children’s heads instead. While some viewers found the videos humorous, others felt that involving children in such pranks without their consent was inappropriate, potentially damaging, and exploitative.Critics argue that these pranks can lead to long-term emotional harm, undermining the trust children place in their parents. Experts have pointed out that even seemingly minor acts of public embarrassment can leave lasting psychological scars, particularly when shared with a vast online audience.The backlash against the Swedish mother’s video intensified when a concerned viewer reported the incident to local authorities, prompting an official investigation. The case eventually reached the Helsingborg District Court, where the mother was charged with harassment.During the trial, prosecutor Cecilia Andersson condemned the act as a clear case of public humiliation. “When I saw the video, I thought: you simply don’t do that to a child. To record and humiliate the child and then broadcast it to thousands of viewers – I find that incredibly degrading,” Andersson stated in court.Andersson emphasized the emotional impact on the young girl, noting that the child had been looking forward to a fun baking session with her mother, only to be caught off guard by the sudden act. “It’s a little girl who thinks she’s going to bake an apple cake with her mom and is happy and excited about it, and then all of a sudden, she gets an egg cracked on her forehead. This is a reckless act,” Andersson added.In her defense, the mother argued that she was merely participating in a widespread social media trend and did not intend to harm her daughter. She claimed that the prank was meant as harmless fun, echoing a common justification among parents who have participated in similar trends. “Everyone was doing it,” the mother reportedly said in court, attempting to downplay the severity of the incident.Despite her defense, the court found her actions to constitute harassment under Swedish law. The judge ruled that while the prank might have seemed harmless to some, it crossed a clear line by publicly embarrassing a child for the sake of online entertainment. The court emphasized that parents have a responsibility to protect their children from potential emotional harm, both offline and online.The court ordered the mother to pay SEK 20,000 (approximately $2,070) in damages to her daughter. The decision underscores the importance of child protection in an age where family moments are increasingly shared with global audiences online.