Viral Tiktok 'cookie Challenge' Tests Family Empathy, Instinct, Ethics

Parents passim nan state are putting their children's generosity, empathy and morals to nan trial done nan viral TikTok "cookie challenge."

The situation leaves 1 genitor without a cookie to spot really children will respond.

Some toddlers happily stock a cooky pinch their mom aliases dada — while others burst into tears, quickly scarf down their azygous dainty aliases moreover propose their parents bargain more.

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"I saw galore different versions of nan cooky situation going astir and was funny what my daughter's guidance would be," Haylee Jandreau of Portland, Maine, told Fox News Digital. 

"She is sensitive, incredibly empathetic and very successful tune pinch emotions. She regularly gets teary-eyed astir dinosaurs being extinct, truthful I thought she would stock pinch maine correct away."

Jandreau and her husband, Jacob, decided to effort nan situation connected their 4-year-old daughter, Maven. (See nan video conscionable above.) 

When nan kid realized her mom was nan only 1 who didn't get a cookie, nan woman paused to see nan dilemma earlier taking a wound and suggesting that Jandreau get 1 "from Target." 

"We had nary thought what his guidance would be."

"She is wise beyond her 4 years and highly motivated by sugary treats," Jandreau said. "So, I should person known that she would person a well-thought-out scheme to spot maine happy and enjoying a cookie, but not astatine her expense. Her mind is ever going – and this was nary exception."

Hannah Cook, a mother from Nashville, Tennessee, caught her boy Judah's affectional guidance erstwhile she didn't get a cookie. He bawled for astir 2 seconds and past handed his mom a cookie.

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"A existent empath," she captioned nan video. "Love him truthful much." 

Her video received much than 90 cardinal views. (See nan video astatine nan apical of this article.)

"We had nary thought what his guidance would be," Cook told Fox News Digital. "We honestly weren't expecting what ended up happening. We had an inkling he'd stock because that's what we prioritize successful our house."

Hannah Cook and her hubby look connected arsenic their son, Judah, cries while participating successful nan TikTok "cookie challenge." (Hannah Cook/@hannahcook1229)

But is nan cooky situation immoderate benignant of measurement of a child's capacity for empathy? 

The short reply is no, according to Dallas-based licensed objective societal worker Mary Margaret Fair.

"Empathy is simply a analyzable emotion that requires a level of cognitive capacity, arsenic good arsenic affectional intelligence that develops passim childhood," Fair said. "There is nary technological backing to this challenge. Thus, we are unsure if this situation tin measurement empathy aliases if it's measuring thing else."

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Fair said basal empathy only starts to create successful children from 2 to 4 years old. Generosity aliases greediness aren't needfully portion of nan equation either, she said.

"I would see these arsenic a learned behaviour alternatively than empathy, which is simply a feeling," she said. "That said, location whitethorn not beryllium a circumstantial property [at] which this develops, though this would apt beryllium taught wrong a system learning situation [by] either different children aliases adults."

Children person reacted otherwise to nan viral cooky challenge. (iStock)

There are plentifulness of different factors that whitethorn beryllium progressive successful a child's determination to share.

"I activity pinch a batch of families from different socioeconomic backgrounds," Fair said. 

"This cooky situation is conscionable a nosy and lighthearted activity to do pinch your family."

"With this acquisition successful mind, location could beryllium a batch of factors astatine play successful determining whether a kid will aliases will not stock successful these types of challenges. Some factors see nutrient security, existent mood, clip of day, relationships pinch parents aliases moreover cognitive aliases developmental limitations."

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The only conclusion anyone tin deduct from nan cooky situation is whether a kid is consenting to stock a cooky successful that moment, Fair said.

"Nothing more, from my position astatine least," Fair said. "This cooky situation is conscionable a nosy and lighthearted activity to do pinch your family."

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Cook agreed.

"I deliberation each kid is different and each property is different," she said. 

"[Judah's] only 2, and our expectations of him are not precocious for this age. But it does show america that what we're telling him and instilling successful him is working."