When Does a Prank Become Psychological Maltreatment? When the Fear is Real

A new(ish) TikTok trend is circulating just in time for Halloween: the bathroom ghost. The process involves parents using a filter on their phone to project a creepy ghost that appears to be behind the child. The social media trend involves parents activating the filter once their child is alone in the bathroom, often with the parent holding the door closed, trapping the terrified child. These videos are sadly similar: a happy child in the bathroom sees the ghost and freaks act -- often with absolute terror. Child shrieks, cries, freezes in fear. Child then tries to exit the bathroom only to realize that they are locked in. More terror ensues. Sometimes you can hear the parent laughing on the other side of the door. Perhaps most bizarre is the number of videos designed to teach other people how to do this to their own children.

At the Psychological Maltreatment Alliance we have identified at least ten potential risks associated with parents sharenting images and information about their children on social media, including that the image itself can involve the child being psychologically maltreated -- as in this type of post. The ghost filter is just one of many pranks and trends on social media in which parents activate their child's shame, fear, anger, or sadness in order to have an emotionally intense post that will attract user engagement. We encourage parents to consider the P-A-U-S-E (Mitchell et al, 2026) approach before posting: 

Privacy: Would this content reveal private bodily or health information or humiliating moments (e.g., nudity or bathroom time)?

Audience: Who can see this content (including friends of friends, screenshots, and reshares)?

Unchangeable: Would you be comfortable if this post existed forever?

Safety: Does the content reveal location, school, rou tine, or other identifiable details?

Emotion: Are you posting while you or your child is upset? Are you seeking validation or trying to prove a point?

Remember: if the feeling is real even if the filter is fake, then you may want to put that post aside. Even better, avoid intentionally activating your child's fear in the first place. You may miss out on the latest trend but you can enjoy the awesome feeling of knowing you have spared your child uncessary trauma.