A TikToker’s story about growing up without candy has sparked discussion online as Halloween approaches, with children across the country preparing to bring home bags full of sweets. Gemma, who goes by @gemma.moro on TikTok, shared how her parents’ strict rules around candy affected her relationship with food as she got older. The video has received 588,500 views and 456 comments at the time of writing.
Gemma shared that she wasn’t allowed to have “bad food” as a kid. Candy, even on Halloween, wasn’t an option. While this may seem like a family doing everything they can to keep their children healthy, it had the opposite effect on the TikToker. When she was old enough to drive and buy things on her own, she felt like she was set up for failure.
She began binge-eating treats. This caused her to gain a lot of weight and changed her relationship with food. Now 20 years old, she is still working through her disordered eating. It’s something she has to unlearn, and she thinks she wouldn’t be in this situation had she been allowed to have candy in moderation.
TikTokers Share Their Own Experiences With Strict Childhood Food Rules
“I had a roommate who grew up like this and omg I’ve never seen a more intense 180 into binge eating,” one person wrote.
Another shared that her parents were the same way, writing, “GIRLLL ME TOO she’d give me 20 bucks to throw away my Halloween candy every year smh.”
One commenter believed that telling someone they can’t have something always makes it worse: “‘Forbidden fruit always tastes better’ is honestly one of my favorite sentences. PLEASE teach kids balance as a teen who's overweight and tries to balance everything, it's really hard because I never had that but it's so important.”
More commenters wanted parents to teach their children to have a healthy relationship with treats and candy.
Others shared their personal stories, writing, “As a kid I was allowed to eat ANYTHING! And once I hit 10 years old I was choosing fruits and vegetables over candy. Being able to eat anything just makes it so much easier not to choose candy growing up. Still to this day candy is something I eat maybe once every 2 months.”
Another commenter shared that she gained more than 30 pounds in college because she had the freedom to eat whatever she wanted.
It’s clear that many people could relate to Gemma’s story. For them, allowing children to have treats in moderation may be one way to help them develop a healthier relationship with food.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made by TikTok creator @gemma.moro, which are based solely on her personal account shared in the video.
