Swedish woman fined Rs 1.7 lakh for TikTok egg prank on daughter; court rules it harassment: ‘You don't do that to a child'

Indian Express

21-05-2025

A Swedish woman, 24, has been fined around $2,070 (Rs 1.7 lakh) after a viral TikTok prank involving her young daughter was deemed harassment by the Helsingborg District Court. The prank—part of a popular but controversial trend—sparked public outrage after being seen as humiliating and emotionally harmful to the child.
The incident took place in 2023 in Helsingborg, a coastal city in southern Sweden. The mother had set up what appeared to be a baking session with her daughter, telling the child they were going to make an apple cake together. But midway through the filming, out of the blue, she cracked a raw egg on the girl's forehead, letting the yolk slide down her face, all while the camera was rolling.
The video, later posted to TikTok, quickly racked up about 100,000 views. While some found it amusing, many viewers were disturbed by the child's shocked reaction and discomfort. Comments poured in, criticising the stunt as unnecessarily cruel and accusing the mother of prioritising internet attention over her daughter's dignity.
A mother was forced to pay her own toddler over $2,000 in damages after cracking an egg on their head to follow a TikTok trend pic.twitter.com/ONkmHyYHl7
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) May 17, 2025
The prank was part of an online trend where parents pretend to crack an egg into a bowl, only to suddenly break it on their child's head. Although these clips have garnered millions of views, critics have raised concerns about the emotional toll such pranks can take, particularly when children are too young to fully understand what's happening, or give informed consent.
One viewer, disturbed by the video, reported it to local authorities. This led to an official investigation and eventually to criminal charges. The case made its way to court, where prosecutor Cecilia Andersson didn't mince words: 'When I saw the video, I thought: you simply don't do that to a child.' She stressed how hurtful the experience must have been, pointing out that the little girl was looking forward to bonding time with her mother, not a surprise prank. '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 said during the trial.
The mother defended herself by saying she was just taking part in a viral trend and didn't mean any harm. 'Everyone was doing it,' she reportedly said, suggesting she didn't realise the potential impact on her daughter.
But the court disagreed. In its verdict, the judge found the mother guilty of harassment, ruling that the prank went beyond harmless fun and publicly embarrassed the child. The court ordered her to pay 20,000 Swedish kronor in damages – about $2,070 – to her daughter.