Startle reflex or protective behavior? Viral TikTok clip fuels parenting debate

Last updated:December 5, 2024, 1:32 PM IST

In the video posted on TikTok, Hannah’s son flinched as his father approached him in a way that disturbed many who watched it.

Nurse Hannah defends family amid viral backlash. (Photo credits: Instagram)

Popular parenting TikTok influencer Nurse Hannah has stirred up a hornet’s nest by posting a video of her toddler shaking when his father approached him in a grocery store. The video, which has since been deleted, was shared widely and showed the child raising his hands in a defensive position, looking startled. It created intense reactions from viewers about what such behavior could mean.

In the video posted on TikTok, Hannah’s son flinched as his father approached him in a way that disturbed many who watched it. Several commentators sounded the alarm, questioning why a young child would do such a thing in such a situation. Comments like “Why does a little kid shy away from something?” and observations that the child’s body language appeared “purely defensive”, suggesting he might need to be “taken somewhere safe”, were among them.

It started a trend where parents started experimenting with using similar gestures to their children’s reactions. This time different reactions appeared such as laughter and sometimes no fear.

But not allowing for public backlash and speculation surrounding the reaction to the stiffness and vertigo, nurse Hannah produced a follow-up clip in which she defended her husband while putting the original recorded clip into context. She clarified that the moment happened humorously and that the same man is “the most loving and nurturing father”. The clip led to conversations about bad reactions or reactions from children of both parents on TikTok.

TikTok users who are on autism spectrum disorder were quoted by WGTC stating that the son’s reaction is typical of people with sensory issues or people who have a condition with overlapping sensitivities, while other people said that the son’s reaction could be the only natural response that boy could give to his environment.

This can be due to several reasons ranging from normal reflexes to serious underlying health problems. The startle reflex or Moro reflex is the natural reflex of infants and toddlers. A child starts this when they are suddenly startled by noise, movement or changes in the environment.

Some toddlers are overly sensitive to sensory stimuli and startle at sudden movements and loud noises. When a child has been through a frightening experience or is afraid that something might happen, it can be a protective-like reflexive behavior.