Influencer mum sparks backlash for staging 'fake beach day' for views: 'I feel so bad for the kid'

Under a sun-soaked backdrop and matching swimsuits, what seemed like a tender mother‑daughter "beach day" swiftly unravelled into a perfectly choreographed reel — filmed, reviewed, and then cut short the moment it hit record. And people aren't impressed.

In a viral clip that’s amassed nearly three million views on TikTok, a stunned beachgoer captured what she described as an "insane" case of influencers in the wild — a mum content creator appearing to share a wholesome sandcastle moment with her young child.

But according to TikTok user Ashley Cast (@healthybutno), the seemingly sweet scene quickly turned sour.

Ashley claimed she watched the mum step away to check her phone on a tripod, only to return, visibly unsatisfied with the footage. She then knocked over part of the sandcastle — not by accident, but to rebuild it and reshoot the moment for better content.

It didn't stop there...

Ashley claims that once the 'mumfluencer' had captured enough content of the sandcastle building, she told her child it was finally time to have fun in the sea — but the splashy moment lasted barely 10 seconds before they packed up and left.

"Are you freaking kidding me? You just took your daughter to the beach for views," Ashley told viewers. "It’s one thing to have a pretend life. But it’s another thing to have a pretend life and use your children for views."

Inevitably, fellow TikTokers were left dumbfounded by what Ashley had witnessed, with one writing: "Mommy influencer in the wild. And this is why we need to stop following accounts that centre their children."

Another quipped: "I saw someone comment something recently that hit me: these children are going to be so confused watching these videos later in life of a beautiful childhood they never actually had. So confusing."

Meanwhile, a third chimed in: "Fun fact: when you’re ACTUALLY parenting, you rarely have brain space to set up a camera and if you’re focused on your kid, you’ll never take the time to stage a shoot."

As the debate around "sharenting" continues to intensify online, this latest staged snapshot has many asking: At what point does the content come at the cost of the childhood?

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