TikTok: what is the egg crack challenge and why are parents breaking eggs on kid’s heads in new viral trend?

A new viral TikTok trend which sees parents crack eggs on their unsuspecting children’s heads has been described as “bullying” on Good Morning Britain.

The egg crack challenge has amassed over 64 million views on the social media platform, with parents filming themselves cracking eggs on their children’s heads to film their reaction. Whilst some describe it as “a lighthearted joke”, there is growing concern about the risks involved.

The trend which was originally aimed at husbands or partners has now seen it shift to children and toddlers whose reactions include crying, surprise and confusion. However, some kids have been taking the trend on by instead cracking eggs on their parents heads.

So, what is the TikTok egg crack challenge and why are parents doing it?

What is the TikTok egg crack challenge?

The TikTok egg crack challenge is when a parent cracks an egg on the head of their unsuspecting child and films their reaction. Videos have been popping up across the social media platform, showing parents using their child’s head instead of the side of a bowl to crack an egg whilst baking. They often show the toddlers left confused, surprised or crying. Whilst in some videos where the children are older they are seen laughing.

The trend, which has ranked up over 65 million views was called out on Good Morning Britain, with panellist Ola Pelovangu likened it to “bullying”.

Some influencers on TikTok have been calling out the controversial trend, with account mom.uncharted ran by Sarah doing a video discussing it. Sarah said: “When I see these videos, I think like, ‘Are we that bored as parents and desperate for content?’”

Whilst doctors in the USA have also been condemning it, reported by NBC, paediatric physician Meghan Martin explained: “We’re literally smacking salmonella on their foreheads,” she continued: “It’s harder to get a toddler to drink fluids when they’ve got a stomach bug or food poisoning, and so they’re more likely to end up in the hospital for IV fluids.”

Why is it trending?

The prank originally saw partner’s crack eggs on their unsuspecting husband or boyfriend’s head whilst they were cooking. However, somehow this has now shifted to parents doing it to their children.

However, kids have been getting their own back on the trend, with some parents even cracking the egg on their head themselves, much to their kid’s amusement. Account @thymeandtenderness shared a video cracking the egg on her forehead, sending her toddler into fits of giggles. Her video captioned “Yall…. It literally was so easy to do this prank better,” ended with her telling the camera: “And that’s how you do the egg-cracking”.

What did Good Morning Britain say about TikTok egg crack challenge?

The TikTok egg crack trend was discussed on Good Morning Britain, with dad influencer Ben Anderson defending it as a “light hearted joke”. However, panellist and mother-of-four Ola Pelovangu likened it to “bullying”.

Anderson, who has nearly 40,000 followers on his Instagram account the diary of a dad, told viewers: “I view it as more of a lighthearted joke type challenge and one that I don’t take as seriously.” However, Pelovangu disagreed, explaining: “Children model behaviour that they see from their parents. Where do you draw the line? Parents are participating in this trend...where do they go next? Would you do it if it wasn’t trending?”