There is a new "trend" on the popular social media platform, TikTok. In the trending videos, adults are seen throwing water onto their baby's face and head. While the children frequently become startled or upset, the parents are laughing. The videos often include the description "no babies were harmed in the making of this video" and the hashtag, #comedy.

Here's the problem. Babies ARE harmed, and it's NOT funny.

The babies and young children in the video are defenseless. They don't know the water is going to be thrown on them, they can't defend themselves and they can't escape. Many of the babies show a startle reflex. Many cry. While the children are not "physically harmed" in the video, they were scared by the person they trust most in the world- their parent. Their mommy or daddy made them cry, and that's stressful for a young child with a developing brain. It's abusive, and it's harmful.

Defenders of the videos say "it's only water", "the same thing happens in a bath" and "its a joke". Whether it's water, soda or juice doesn't matter. It's the action. Throwing water on an unsuspecting, defenseless baby is cruel. The same thing DOESN'T happen in a bath. First, the baby is naked and sitting in water; they know there's water. Baths are a fun time to connect with a caregiver. If they don't like water on their head, the caregiver can console and protect them, not laugh at them for a social media video. Finally, it's not a joke. It's not funny to the baby, so therefore, it's NOT FUNNY. Laughing at the expense of a child is not a joke.

TikTok needs to ban these cruel, abusive videos. Allowing these videos to continue is telling the world that it's OK to be cruel to children, and it's NOT OK to be cruel to children. If we want to raise a generation of kind, empathetic children, we need to show them kindness and empathy. If we want to raise respectful children, we must lead by example and respect them first. TikTok needs to protect children and BAN these videos.