Photo: @nojumper / @mom.uncharted / TikTok
A little empathy goes a long way.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Mar 08, 2023
A little girl who took a recent shopping trip to Walmart is going viral for all the wrong reasons. In a video recorded by a bystander, the girl appears to have a public meltdown as others look on in shock and horror. Those who attempt to intervene are snapped at by the girl.
The video has many people criticizing her misbehavior and her parents, believing that they clearly went wrong somewhere during her upbringing. However, others are sympathizing with the frustrated little girl, recognizing that she clearly needs help and the way that she is expressing her emotions indicates that she is in serious mental pain.
The little girl is filmed having a freak out in a Walmart store, throwing flower pots and cursing out other customers.
The little girl’s tantrum was recorded by multiple store goers from different angles, and quickly gained virality on social media. In one of the videos that was uploaded to TikTok and has over 18 million views, a customer claimed that there was “always someone popping off” in the Walmart she was shopping at in Louisburg, North Carolina.
The video depicts a little girl who looks around nine or ten years old standing over the dirt from several flower pots she tossed on the floor. A woman standing by her, who appears to be her grandmother, seems to be out of control of the situation as the little girl suddenly lunges forward and kicks her.
A bystander jumps in and attempts to reason with the little girl. “You need to stop,” he can be heard telling her. “No, she needs her a– whooped,” the woman recording behind the camera says. “She’s gotta be on medicine, there’s gotta be something wrong with her,” she adds.
“She’s standing here making this mess and they’re letting her do it.”
The little girl is unphased by those attempting to step in and control her, as she continues to throw another flower pot and angrily stomp in circles. Things escalate even further when another customer yells at the girl, “you need a momma to beat your a–!” The girl responds, “Shut the f–k up,” before climbing up on the flower pot display telling the customer that she “needs a spanking.”
“You all need to get the authorities out here,” the woman behind the camera urges before the video ends.
People are dubbing the little girl as the ‘worst kid in the world.’
“This girl needs to be slapped into the middle of next week,” one TikTok user commented. “The belts are in the shoe section,” another user wrote, implying that the girl needed to be disciplined with one.
“Call the police immediately. They’ll know how to handle her,” another user urged. “This kid needs to go on ‘beyond scared straight,” another user recommended.
However, other users could not help but hurt for the little girl, who was clearly struggling and encouraged the adults in her life to get her help.
One social media influencer who addresses child exploitation on the internet made her own video as a response to the girl's tantrum. She acknowledges that the child did not even consent to being filmed and that on its own is a problem, she points out that her behavior is a cry for help.
“When I watch that video, I see a girl with trauma. I see a girl with pain. I see a girl who is hurting,” the social media influencer, Sarah, says. “And now she has gone viral on social media, being titled the worst kid in the world, having derogatory and atrocious things said about her.”
While Sarah claims that she does not justify the little girl’s misbehavior, she recognizes that she was just a child most likely in pain. Now, her life will be made even more difficult since her public meltdown is being shared with other adults for their own entertainment. “Kids in all forms aren’t content,” she explained.
Other users agreed with Sarah.
“I saw that video and immediately thought, ‘someone has hurt that baby,’” one user commented.
“There’s so much more to this story than just a little girl having a meltdown. I’m so sad for the child,” another user noted.
“I have a child who is disabled and has public meltdowns. We work on it in behavioral therapy. If someone recorded it I’d be in jail. That’s my baby,” one parent shared.
“My daughter has severe outbursts sometimes in public and this video hurt my heart,” another added.
Research demonstrates that traumatized and struggling children have difficulties regulating their emotions.
As a result, these children are prone to acting out in public and are more likely to be branded as “bad kids.” Trauma affects a child’s mood, sleep, and behavior.
Parents of children who are demonstrating these behavioral issues are encouraged to seek help for their children, including putting them into therapy and possibly on medication that will assist them to improve their behavior.
As for adults, the next time you see a child misbehaving and acting out in a public space, we encourage you to have empathy for them instead of immediately pulling out your phone and pressing the record button. Your own entertainment could very well be another person’s everyday suffering.
This little girl is not the “worst kid ever.” She is a kid in need of help and kindess.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.