‘He is her daily affirmation’: Tiny tot terrifies her mom when she claims ‘some man’ keeps calling her iPad

Adults may not be able to break their iPhone addictions, but babies and toddlers might be even more attracted to these tiny screens. Once a little one sees their parents’ phone, it’s game over. So it’s easy to see how much kids love iPads. They basically get a mini computer all to themselves… and parents don’t mind getting a bit of a break, either!

Well, as parents know, keeping kids safe online is always top of mind, and TikTok user @cassym_xo was concerned when her daughter said “some man” was phoning her iPad. Cassandra wrote, “I wanted her to show me what she was talking about.” So, what was going on? She found the “Call Mike Tyson” filter on Snapchat! When he said “Hey, what’s up?” she replied, “What’s up!” which just might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

When the Tyson filter said, “You’re the champ” the girl said, “No, you’re the champ” and “see you tomorrow.” As one commenter said, “He is her daily affirmation. He calls her the champ every day. Too cute.” The official Snapchat TikTok account wrote, “She’s our positive affirmation inspiration.” Others said she and the filter have been chatting every single day and saying the same things to each other, which is too funny.

There’s no shortage of hilarious toddler stories on TikTok, and I hope parents never stop sharing the truly fantastic things their little ones do. I’d argue that when kids use iPads, hilarity always follows, and every mom and dad who has handed their kiddo an iPad has a story like this one. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, there is a 22% increased chance that a household has a tablet if there are kids. Of course, this begs the question of how much screen time is too much for preschoolers and elementary school students alike.

As soon as you have a baby, you’re inundated with advice and warnings about all the things you have to do and not do, from favoring baby-led weaning over fruit purees, to getting rid of bottles by 12 months. But just like it’s intense and unrealistic to expect your one-year-old to exclusively drink out of open cups (and without spilling!), screen time doesn’t have to be viewed as all bad.

As shown by this sweet little girl, she is getting a lot out of her everyday convos with the Mike Tyson filter. She’s practicing communication skills and working on her self-esteem, too. And, in 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics said screen time should be avoided when a child is less than 18 months old. However, “live video chats” are likely fine. Then, a couple tiny studies say that “educational media” could teach 15-month-olds to two-year-olds words. The key is that parents are there, too, so they can say the words to their little ones.

This little one learned the word “champ” from the Tyson filter, after all, and all kids should hear how fabulous and wonderful they are 24/7. In the grand scheme of things, chatting with a filter of a celebrity is much better than when a kid spends $500 on Fortnite accessories, like my then pre-teen nephew did when using my mother-in-law’s iPad. Honestly, after seeing this sweet TikTok, I think everyone needs a daily reminder that they’re a champ!