Coming up with creative ideas for how to surprise your kids on Christmas can be quite a challenge. For one, their interests are constantly changing as they grow. Not only that, but social media can have quite an effect on their preferences, too. Sometimes, in a not-so-great way.
Case in point, mom Annabel (@cocobelle2000) recently went viral on TikTok after sharing her daughter’s and son's Christmas lists. To say that the lists are unrealistic is putting it mildly. As the mom quipped, her kids probably think that their family lives in a different tax bracket. Scroll down for the full videos, as well as the internet’s reactions.
Social media influences some kids quite a bit when it comes to their holiday gift lists
Image credits: romankosolapov / envato
One mom went viral after venting about all the things that her 9-year-old daughter wanted for Christmas this year
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"I just found out that my nine-year-old thinks we live in a different tax bracket"
"Here are some examples of things that she put on her Christmas list this year."
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Another pair of shoes for $122"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"I don't know what this is. But I don't own anything like this for $42"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Girl, shut up. Come on"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"This girl is nuts. She's nine"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Oh hell no. $85. Girl, I use, like, Nivea for my face. I don't think she's gotten the memo about inflation and the economy right now"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Anyone else dealing with this? There's not even a single toy on the list."
You can watch the viral video in full right here
Some kids copy influencers because they think it will make them happy and popular
The mom’s original witty video garnered 109.9k likes and, at the time of writing, was viewed 1.5 million times and counting. Meanwhile, her follow-up clip about her son's Xmas wishes got 31.4k views.
Some parents found the entire situation very relatable because their own kids are growing up and suddenly don’t want toys as presents anymore.
This can be quite a bittersweet moment for parents. On the one hand, growing up is inevitable. On the other hand, such a sudden change in interests and hobbies can be hard to digest.
What’s worrying, however, is when children start asking for expensive gifts that are most clothes, shoes, and cosmetics. This raises a couple of important issues.
Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)
First of all, it shows that they’re starting to think more and more about how the world around them perceives them. They want to leave a good impression. However, because they’re still small, they focus on the superficialities and aesthetics, not what truly matters—a person’s character, values, and trustworthiness.
The second issue is that these kids might not even want these things. But they feel that they should want them because of the media they consume.
They see their favorite influencers wearing these clothes, talking about these cosmetics, and promoting these shoes in their social media feeds. Naturally, the younger audience comes to the conclusion that not only is it ‘good’ to want these things, but that they’re somehow not complete without them.
People are social beings to their very core, so we’re obviously concerned about our reputations and relationships with others. Many of us want to be adored, respected, and popular. It’s a natural instinct that plays into the importance of everything social in our lives.
However, this can be taken too far if someone only ever does what they think will make others like them. It betrays deep insecurities and leads to a less-authentic version of oneself.
Becoming popular because you wear the ‘right’ shoes and jacket is fleeting. Fashion and social media trends are constantly changing. Just because you drop several hundred dollars on a fly look now won’t matter much in a few months, weeks… or even days. Chasing popularity through style is a never-ending race.
Social media overuse and too much screen time can have lots of negative effects on kids
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Consuming too much social media can have hugely detrimental effects on children’s development and self-esteem. It can make them feel like they’re ‘not good enough.’
As Kid Matters Counseling notes, kids can develop body image and confidence issues. What’s more, they might deal with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
If they also post on social media, they have negative comments, criticism, cyber bullies, and internet trolls to contend with, too. Many children do not have the emotional resilience needed for this.
So it’s in parents’ best interest to at least partially moderate their munchkins’ internet use. That’s easier said than done, of course. But helping your kids have a healthy relationship with tech is more important now than ever.
We’ve recently covered on Bored Panda how it’s recommended that children under the age of 2 have no screen time at all. Kids between the ages of 2 and 5 should only spend an hour or less in front of screens per day, and it all has to be supervised by their parents, guardians, or siblings.
The reality is something jaw-dropping, however. According to the CDC, American kids who are between the ages of 8 to 10 spend roughly 6 hours in front of screens. Every. Single. Day.
Meanwhile, children aged 11 to 14 spend 9 hours per day. This number drops a bit for 15 to 18-year-olds who spend 7.5 hours looking at screens per day, on average. This massive amount of time using tech means that these kids, tweens, and teens aren’t doing other things, like socializing, learning new skills, or exercising.
The mom later shared what her 12-year-old son asked for Christmas and it's equally bad
I'm sharing my delusional 12-year-old's Christmas list. He started off really strong with this sweatshirt called A Bathing Ape. I thought I was up with the trends. I have no idea what this is. But I also have no idea why he would possibly think that we would spend $300 on a sweatshirt that says 'bathing ape'. Bro, you smell like you need to bathe.
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Get a job. He needs to get a job. If you think I'm gonna buy you a $300 pair of shoes made by Kanye West"
Bro, shut up.
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"Again with this bathing ape s**t. $96."
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"And this dingy shirt for 100 and something dollars"
Image credits: cocobelle2000
"I told him he better update that list or there's going to be nothing under the Christmas tree for him. Who do these kids think that we are? Like, does he think that I'm like moving bricks for El Chapo across the US that this is what he's gonna get for Christmas? Bro, this is a tough economy and we're house poor. Like, let's be realistic."
Here's the TikToker's follow-up video
The internet had a lot to say about the two clips
