Erm, there’s a pretty dark side to Tik Tok’s new When We Were Young trend

There’s little in the world more adorable than grandparents who’ve had a happy marriage spanning decades. And, just after Christmas, TikTok started to celebrate long-lasting love with a new trend soundtracked by Adele’s song When We Were Young. 

Essentially, all you have to do is post a picture of yourself with your partner as you are now with your ages typed out next to your heads, then share another photo viewers can swipe across to see you together “when you were young” years before. It’s nostalgic and sentimental— at least that’s how it started. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@hayoro/video/7318119187258330410?_t=8ijFcxic7WL&_r=1

Quickly, some age gaps started to emerge which horrified everyone on TikTok. One account even used a photo of them as a toddler (four-years-old) with her being held by her then “babysitter”and then swiped through to a photo of them married at 44 and 29-years-old. 

“You were the best babysitter ever!” the account wrote. I’m glad we could look past age and take this new chapter in our life, together.” 

@saintlyliyah

um😭

♬ original sound – zuzik ★

More eye-widening posts followed, with another account sharing a similar picture of a three-year-old hugging a 31-year-old. “Nah we gotta end this trend NOW,” said one TikTok user. “HES BEEN PLOTTING,” added another. 

The account which posted about her babysitter has since replied to any criticism of her marriage, insisting she is “NOT a victim” and she “proposed to HIM”. 

@marsandtheirstars

THE BABYSITTER ONE OML BELESS HER SOUL #typ #viral #whenwewereyounger #adele #foryoupage #fyp #whenwewereyoung #grandparents #mygodthisremindsmeofwhenwewereyoung #trending #trend #sweetoldpeople #teengirs

♬ original sound – zuzik ★

Another user has since started to debunk the account, claiming all of the posts are fake and designed to make everybody argue in the comments. 

But regardless of the legitimacy, there’s one thing everybody can agree on: “I hope the When We Were Young TikTok trend is left behind in 2023.” 

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Featured image credit via TikTok