- Millennial parents have faced criticism on TikTok recently.
- Some are fighting back, saying there's a reason why they're struggling as parents.
Millennials have recently been facing increasing backlash about their parenting due to TikTokers complaining about Gen Alpha, who are sometimes labeled "iPad kids" and are anecdotally said to be dealing with behavioral and educational challenges.
Some millennial parents are responding to the criticism by offering an explanation for their struggles — they're overwhelmed with choices.
"We have access to way too much information," said TikTok influencer Lydia Kyle, whose TikTok bio says she is 30 years old, in a video from November 24.
@lydia_kyl Why are millennials bad parents? #fy #fyp #millennialsoftiktok #millennialmom #parentingtips #parenting101 #millennials #momsover30 #sahmsoftiktok ♬ original sound - Lydia
"Millennial parents have millions of voices every single day telling us exactly how easily and how badly we can mess this up," she said.
Kyle went on to say that these voices present millennial parents with a wide range of suggestions on how to parent, including opting for gentle parenting or helicopter parenting styles, causing them to fear making the wrong choice.
"The parental instinct is gone within many millennial parents because we are terrified of doing it incorrectly," she said.
And it seems Kyle isn't the only one who feels this way.
Abby Eckel, a TikTok creator whose bio says she posts about "honest motherhood" uploaded a similar video on November 27.
"There's too much information all the time from every angle and we can't figure out how to trust ourselves," she said, adding that she finds herself "second guessing every single thing" she does as a parent.
@itsme_abbye Millennial parents have more information available to them 24/7 and they are inundated with advice and opinions. Many millennials realize and have understood the trauma that took place during their childhood and they are determined to break generational trauma. At the same time, that information may be the very thing hindering them from being the best parent they can be and the one voice that should matter most - theirs. @Lydia ♬ original sound - Marriage & Motherhood
Though these millennial users didn't specify the source of the information that they feel they're being overloaded with, it's likely the internet and social media are big factors. Parenting is a huge genre on TikTok (the hashtag #parenting has a staggering 47.6 billion views on the app), encompassing thousands of users sharing their advice on the best way to raise children, including parents and experts.
Some commenters under the creators' videos, who did not always specify their generation in their remarks but who appeared to be identifying with millennials, also said they've dealt with internal struggles when parenting.
Several users suggested that they felt ganged up on, as though the millennial generation receives more criticism than others do. Meanwhile, a couple of users who said they were in the Gen Z age group also said they related to millennials' struggles and feelings.
Other users speculated on additional reasons for their struggles with parenting, including the lack of a "village" or support system, which many millennial moms have been complaining about elsewhere on TikTok too. Business Insider previously reported that part of the problem is some boomers choosing travel over being present as grandparents, causing their millennial children to feel resentment.
Millennial and Gen Z parents are certainly struggling in more ways than one. BI previously reported that they're facing higher childcare costs than their older counterparts did, and many feel isolated. The information overload that some parents are reporting seems to be yet another struggle to be added to the pile of issues young generations of parents face.