AITA for exposing my little brother’s offensive TikTok videos to our parents?

Shirley Stafford Hours
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Picture a teen scrolling through TikTok, stumbling on their little brother’s latest video: a 13-year-old pretending to summon Michael Jackson’s ghost for clout. This Redditor, tasked with keeping an eye on their brother’s online antics, found his “scare kids for followers” shtick not just cringe-worthy but downright disrespectful. When he laughed off their plea to stop, they showed the videos to their parents, who promptly shut down his account and grounded him. Now, the silent treatment speaks louder than any TikTok soundbite.

This isn’t just about dumb videos; it’s a sibling showdown over boundaries and morality in the wild west of social media. The brother’s chasing clout, but the OP’s worried about the line between harmless fun and bad taste. Reddit’s split, with some cheering the snitch and others calling it overkill. Readers are hooked: was ratting him out protective or petty?

‘AITA for exposing my little brother’s offensive TikTok videos to our parents?’

I (17) have a little brother (13) who has a TikTok (like all kids these days I guess). My parents gave him his own phone when he was 11, but he's only just been allowed to have his own social media that isn't monitored by our parents, meaning that they don't have his account passwords anymore (they did from 11-13) or his phone password, but he is expected to let them in if there's reason for them to.

I have been following my little brother on TikTok since he made his account. He asked me to make an account to follow him to get more attention, so I did. I occasionally check in on his account to make sure he's all good. I thought he was, but he's recently started making offensive and dumb content.

My brother used to be obsessed with a YouTuber called Jaystation, who uploads videos to scare kids where he pretends to contact dead celebrities, pretends to do dumb 3am challenges, etc. My brother realised these videos were fake, but he's also figured out that this is a good way to get followers.

He's been making videos where he pretends to contact dead celebrities, such as Mac Miller, Michael Jackson, and a bunch of other high profile deaths. I think this is really disgusting and immoral. I told him he needs to stop, and he basically laughed in my face. So I told our parents.

They demanded he showed them his phone, and he didn't, so they demanded I showed them the videos on my phone, which I did. They were horrified and have made him delete his account (he had like 8k followers) and he's been banned from having his phone for two weeks.

My brother know isn't talking to me at all. He's furious and he thinks I did something dramatic because he is just scaring kids for clout. I told him it's still disrespectful and gross, but we're not getting anywhere. AITA?

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This TikTok tangle is less about ghost-calling and more about navigating teen behavior in the digital age. The OP’s concern over their brother’s videos—mimicking a YouTuber’s fake séances with dead celebrities—stems from a gut feeling that it’s disrespectful. Their decision to tell their parents, leading to a deleted account and a phone ban, sparked a sibling rift. “Teens often test boundaries online, but intent matters,” says Dr. Pamela Rutledge, a media psychologist quoted in Psychology Today. Her work notes that 70% of teens seek attention online, often without grasping the impact.

The brother’s videos, while tasteless, aren’t malicious, but the OP’s discomfort reflects a valid worry about exploiting sensitive topics for clout. A Pew Research study shows 60% of parents struggle to monitor teens’ social media, highlighting why the OP stepped in. The parents’ swift punishment, though, skipped a teaching moment, risking resentment over understanding.

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This story taps a broader issue: guiding kids through online ethics. Dr. Rutledge suggests parents discuss intent and impact, like asking, “How might these videos affect someone grieving?” The OP could’ve tried a heart-to-heart first, as Common Sense Media recommends, to explain why the content felt wrong. For now, they could offer to help their brother rebuild trust with their parents, perhaps by suggesting supervised content creation.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

Reddit jumped in like a viral dance challenge, splitting down the middle with spicy takes and raised eyebrows. The crowd’s opinions are as bold as a TikTok trend, unpacking this sibling saga with gusto:

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stunning-stasis − NTA but your parents need to talk to your brother instead of just shutting him down without a conversation. They're taking the easy way out if they don't put in the effort to educate him.

MisanthropeX − YTA. Just because it's dumb and unfunny doesn't make it 'immoral.' When your title said 'offensive' I was assuming he was tossing the n-bomb all over the place or something. It's tasteless, but most 13 year olds are tasteless. Do you think he doesn't make similar jokes with his friends?

He'll grow out of it, and making fun of specific dead celebrities isn't so wrongheaded that there's a need to intervene. Hell, I'm still 27 and I like to make a good David Carradine joke, or tell my GF 'If I'm not out of the bathroom in 15 minutes, assume I pulled an Elvis'

corvidcastles − NTA. Your parents really should've kept track of what he was doing online, but that's a whole other can of worms. I think you did the right thing informing your parents of your little brother's questionable videos. Even if the videos we're ultimately fine (I'm very unsure about that, but hypothetically), you would be right to bring it up with your parents.

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[Reddit User] − YTA. What was he really hurting? You got him banned from doing something he liked just because you found the humor to be tasteless....he's a teenage boy and I as an adult woman frankly find what he was going to be funny....I feel bad for him.. Edit: clearly went against the grain here but it's the internet and content like this wasn't really hurting anyone.

LindaFrmPortia − INFO. why is this 'offensive'? I think you are using that term rather loosely. When i think offensive i think of the kids saying racial slurs or posting videos of fights. Stuff like that. Am i not understanding something?

nerdywall − YTA, he really wasn't causing anyone harm. If the videos were bigoted then yea, Tell them. But these videos sounded very harmless.

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Arawn_of_Annwn − YTA. It's stupid and juvenile, but he wasn't hurting anyone.

[Reddit User] − YTA. So what, he pretends to be talking on the phone to dead celebrities? Or conducting a seyance? Not really seeing what the issue is.

kazz_jpeg − YTA, some people here are acting like they didn't do anything stupid when they were 13. Hell I even made stupid jokes when I was 13, I have two younger siblings (12 and 13) who do dumb stuff but in the end are ultimately harmless. Unless he was doing something bigoted, what he's doing is not really hurting anyone,

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and just like everyone else, he'll probably grow out of it. You didn't get anything out of this situation except maybe make him resent you for something. It would've be fine if you had just voiced your opinion to him, but you've told on him to your parents and now you've gotten his phone taken away from him.

MoreBoar − YTA. People who've responded N T A, can you please explain what was wrong with the videos he was making?

These Redditors are divided, with some backing the OP for protecting their brother from bad choices, while others call it a petty snitch move over harmless teen antics. Do these takes capture the full vibe, or are they just chasing clout themselves?

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This story of TikTok trouble is a snapshot of sibling loyalty clashing with digital dilemmas. The OP’s choice to expose their brother’s videos wasn’t about ruining his fun—it was about drawing a line at distasteful content. But with family ties now strained, it’s a reminder that guiding teens online takes patience, not just punishment. What would you do if your sibling’s social media crossed a line? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

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