A TikTok creator known as @_heywhatsupyall recently posted a video detailing the incredibly strict household rules she faced throughout her childhood and adolescence, the Daily Dot reported. The video, which has already racked up more than 780,000 views and over 8,300 comments, features the creator filming while currently grounded, noting that many of these restrictive policies are still in effect today.
The creator outlines a regime where digital privacy was essentially non-existent. She did not receive a phone until eighth grade, and even then, she was forced to leave it in her parents’ room every night until her junior year of high school. Her parents actively monitored it, checking the device nightly before eventually scaling back to once every few days.
She also had to answer every incoming call on the first ring, or she risked losing the device entirely. Beyond those rules, she was barred from using her phone before school, and she was never allowed to bring it into her bedroom or bathroom. Her parents even used an app that gave them the power to hide or delete apps from her phone without her permission.
Social media access was equally restricted
She was not allowed to have TikTok or Snapchat, and as of the recording, she says she still does not have TikTok. Her first foray into social media was an Instagram account, which she was only allowed to create the summer before her sophomore year of high school.
Her social life was also kept on a very short leash. Sleepovers were off-limits until she was nearly a teenager, and even then, she could only visit friends her parents had known for years. Hanging out with friends was restricted to one day per week, with the other weekend day strictly reserved for family time or chores, which often included watering plants for hours or deep-cleaning the house.
Perhaps the most intense detail involves how her parents handled her interactions with boys. She was forbidden from texting or talking to boys, and she recalled a middle school incident where she got in trouble for simply texting a boy she considered a friend. She even had to get her parents’ approval days in advance just to make plans with any friends.
When her parents discovered she had a Snapchat account with messages to boys, the situation escalated significantly. She claimed they took her to the desert and questioned her there for two days, an experience she described as “the most traumatic experience of her life.” Following this, she lost her phone for eight months, leaving her completely unable to communicate with her friends.
Even when she broke smaller rules, the consequences were formal and demanding. Her parents required her to write multi-page apology letters and create personal improvement plans. Even now, they remain hesitant to let her stay at friends’ houses, preferring that her friends visit their home instead.
The reaction to the video has been a mix of disbelief and shared frustration. Some viewers simply could not believe the story was real. One commenter wrote, “Guys its a joke she literally says she still doenst have tiktok” [sic].
Others were more focused on the severity of the punishment compared to their own upbringing. One person noted, “grounded w a phone??? my parents would’ve taken EVERYTHING.” Another viewer suggested a different approach for future content, writing, “You should do a ‘things my parents let me do’ version.”
Published: Sep 2, 2026 07:15 pm