When parenting meets screens: Cameroonian families in the age of TikTok and WhatsApp 🇨🇲📱

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Not long ago, parental authority was measured in stern looks, house rules, and scoldings in the courtyard. Today, it’s also fought over glowing smartphone screens. From homework hijacked by TikTok, to late-night chats on WhatsApp, to secrets buried in privacy settings, digital life has quietly woven itself into Cameroonian households — upending the balance between parents and children.

WhatsApp, where teenage secrets live 🔒

On a park bench in Yaoundé, Mireille, a mother of two teenagers, describes her daily struggle:

“My son spends hours locked in his room with his phone. Whenever I ask who he’s talking to, it’s always: ‘Friends.’ One day I checked and found WhatsApp groups sharing disturbing videos. Since then, I can’t sleep at night.”

Stories like Mireille’s are becoming common. Private groups act as hidden social laboratories, far beyond parental oversight. Every locked screen feels suspicious; every muffled laugh behind a phone feeds parents’ unease.

Facebook as the family showcase 📸

It’s not just kids who are performing online — parents are in on it too. Report cards, birthday party videos, heartfelt declarations: Facebook has become a social stage for family life.

“My 12-year-old daughter once asked why I don’t post her photos on Facebook like other parents. She thought it meant I didn’t love her enough. That’s when I realized parental affection now gets measured in likes,” recalls Jean-Benoît, a schoolteacher.

This culture of comparison weighs heavily on children, who sometimes end up living more for the camera than for themselves. Family intimacy dissolves in the constant chase for validation.

TikTok and the lure of instant fame 🎵

With its endless dances, challenges, and flashy filters, TikTok is irresistible to teens. Behind the playful surface lies a race for popularity that alarms many parents. Some young girls even appear in provocative outfits — sometimes in their school uniforms.

“I posted a dance video and got 20,000 views. Kids at school recognized me in the street. TikTok gives me a kind of value my parents don’t get. It’s all about trends and popularity. I never miss a challenge when I have my phone,” says Clarisse, a high schooler in Yaoundé.

But online fame comes with risks: cyberbullying, predatory attention, or crushing psychological pressure. Some parents ban the app altogether, but that often sparks open rebellions at home.

Balancing control and trust ⚖️

Families are caught in a dilemma: watch closely to protect their children, or trust them at the risk of exposure to harm.

“I installed a tracking app on my son’s phone. I wanted to know where he was and who he talked to. When he found out, he deleted it. Later, during an argument, he told me: ‘Dad, you don’t trust me,’” says Samuel, an IT worker and father.

Psychologists insist that the solution lies less in surveillance and more in dialogue, clear rules, and digital literacy. After all, technology is now inseparable from children’s daily lives.

What they said 🗣️

Parents, teens, and young adults are grappling with these tensions in real time. Their voices highlight the contradictions of a connected society, where each generation struggles to find balance.

Clarisse, 42, mother of three:
“I’d rather my kids show me what they’re doing on their phones than snoop behind their backs. But sometimes, curiosity wins.”

Kevin, 17, high schooler:
“My parents want to know everything I do on WhatsApp. But not everything’s bad. It’s where I learn, talk to friends, and relax.”

Patrice, civil servant:
“With TikTok, my 14-year-old daughter became obsessed with dancing and challenges. It’s fun, but I’m scared she’ll stumble on things she shouldn’t see.”

Mireille, 19, communications student:
“Parents watch us, but they’re glued to Facebook themselves, posting nonstop. Sometimes they’re the ones who can’t unplug.”

Jean-Baptiste, entrepreneur:
“In my family, we set a rule: no phones at the table. It saved our conversations — otherwise everyone stayed buried in their screens.”

A mirror of broader social tensions 🔍

In many ways, parenting in the digital age mirrors bigger struggles: power and authority, freedom and autonomy, the need for recognition.

Some families draw firm boundaries:

• no phones before a certain age
• confiscating devices during school hours
• strict screen-time limits
• regular conversations about online risks
• offline activities to strengthen family ties

Between generations and algorithms 🤖

Screens entered homes without asking permission. They now shape mealtimes, homework, and even silences. Technology isn’t just a tool anymore — it’s a new family member: invisible, yet omnipresent.

In today’s connected Cameroon, parents aren’t just fighting to feed, educate, and protect their kids. They’re also struggling to safeguard the most fragile thing of all: trust and love. A single WhatsApp message can hurt more than a shouted argument in the courtyard. A TikTok video can boost a teen’s ego while exposing them to cruelty. And a single “like” can redefine what it means to feel loved.

Ultimately, it’s not about banning screens or surrendering to them. It’s about inventing a new kind of parenting — one built on listening, vigilance, and tenderness. The digital challenge isn’t technological. It’s human. And for Cameroonian families, the test is whether they can stay united in a virtual world that too often divides those living under the same roof.

👉🏾 So, do you think screens bring families closer together — or drive them apart?