Parents Are Using a Viral 'Backrooms Review' to Teach Kids About Stranger Danger — Critics Call It Psychological Warfare
A new social media trend called the "backrooms review" has parents across the country sharing unsettling recreations of the infamous online horror myth—complete with endless yellow hallways, buzzing fluorescent lights, and eerie solitude—as a way to warn children about the risks of wandering off. Advocates say the videos are a creative tool to teach stranger danger and safety awareness in a digital age. But moral critics are sounding alarms, calling the trend a form of psychological warfare that normalizes fear and anxiety in children, all while exploiting a meme that has already been linked to disturbing online rabbit holes and copycat challenges. "We are teaching kids that the world is a liminal nightmare," warns Dr. Helen Morrisey, a child psychologist. "Instead of building resilience, we're feeding a generation's existential dread." As the "backrooms review" hashtag soars in search volume, parents are left asking: when does education become emotional manipulation?