Worrying Text Messages Sent From Parents On TikTok Go Viral: Watch

Attention parents over 50: TikTok has decided: it’s time to stop texting.

Okay, maybe don’t stop texting all together. But please, pleaseyour children beg you: at least try to be a little clearer and include context in your messages.

In a video that has been viewed 3.2 million times, TikToker Allie O’Brien shares comments from people describing unintentionally worrying text messages they received from their parents. It turns out that these parents didn’t mean to worry their kids at all, even though their messages, read out of context, likely did.

“I have a screenshot after my dad’s surgery where my mom says ‘They lost your dad’ – meaning she didn’t know what room he was in,” one comment read.

“I once got a message saying, ‘Your aunt made it (blood emoji),’ but apparently she only had high enough iron to donate blood,” read another.

The messages stunned O’Brien, who ends the video by asking: “What happens to people over 50 who send text messages like this?”

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Since that first video went viral, O’Brien has received more comments from people sharing disturbing text messages from their parents and reading them aloud in follow-up videos.

“When my grandpa was in the hospital my dad told me they had it all figured out and it was time,” one comment read. “I took this at the time of his death and told my mother. No, he was going to be released.”

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Sometimes parents’ texts go the other way, making something seem dark as light.

“My mom did the opposite,” one commenter wrote. “My aunt was in the hospital for a few days and my mom texted me ‘Your aunt is home!’ She meant heaven. My aunt died.

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Teenagers’ text messages are also mocked

It’s not just Gen Xers or baby boomers who are facing scrutiny on social media for their text messages. A similar account run by Chip Leighton highlights the funny, clueless or insensitive texts teens are sending their parents.

In a video with 4.2 million views, Leighton shares the messages parents received: “What is grandma’s real name?” and “Bruh. When does my social security number expire?” Other gems include: “Please don’t send Dad.” I’m too tired to be embarrassed” and “Will I get in trouble if I drive with roller skates?” Much like O’Brien’s account, the comments section of Leighton’s videos is filled with enthusiastic users sharing similar messages from their own family members.

Leighton tells USA TODAY he understands the frustration people also feel with the way their parents text, such as their penchant for periods and ellipses, even in casual conversation.

“There are a lot of things that young people find annoying about the way we text, but what really annoys them is when we use punctuation. ‘Why do you put a period after every sentence? It’s so aggressive,’” he says. “And don’t even think about using the scary ellipses… they’re intimidating and very weird.”

Texting etiquette is real and ever-changing

These stories, while hilarious, highlight generational divisions over language, vernacular and digital etiquette.

Other messaging styles, such as sending long blocks of text or using certain punctuation marks, indicate our changing interpretation of what is sent to us in digital communication.

Maybe that point you used made your tone dry when you were just trying to finish a sentence. Perhaps you read an exclamation point as a shout when it was intended to be friendly.

It turns out that there is a reason for the generation gap that has to do with when a person adopted digital communication in their lifetime.

Many young people have a “computer-first mentality” and choose different grammatical devices in their posts compared to those who are older and grew up “writing more casually on postcards”, previously said to USA TODAY linguist Gretchen McCulloch, author of “Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language.”

The solution? Try to mirror the punctuation and style of the person you’re communicating with, says McCulloch.

“If someone sends me an email without an exclamation point, I will try to send them an email back with as few exclamation points as possible.”

The less digital confusion, the better – even if it does make for hilarious viral videos.

Contributor: Carly Mallenbaum