A Cuban identified on TikTok as @raizahernandez1608 sparked a heated debate on social media after posting a video last Sunday in which she harshly criticizes the parenting methods of current parents, particularly those in their thirties and younger generations.
The trigger was a scene the woman witnessed in a store: a child picked up a metal object and began hitting everything in his path, while his parents completely ignored the situation.
"I don't understand how you can go to a store, have your son pick up a metal object from the store, and start hitting everything in his path while you keep shopping like nothing is happening and your husband is on the phone," the creator stated in the one minute and 25-second clip.
From that anecdote, the Cuban made a sweeping critique of what she considers a parenting approach without limits or discipline, summed up in a phrase that became the focal point of the debate: "What they are raising are parasites; they are raising filth."
According to the author, this educational model has direct consequences on the adult lives of children. "Tomorrow, when they grow up and have no friends because no one wants to be friends with someone like that, then all there is left for me is to want to live because I have no friends. Who the hell is going to want to be your friend if, at four or five years old, you have a power of destruction?" she pointed out.
The woman distanced herself from the phenomenon she criticizes by clarifying that she has a 27-year-old daughter whom she considers well-raised: "Mine is already twenty-seven years old, I raised her well."
The video amassed over 123,000 views, nearly 6,300 likes, and about 500 comments, reflecting the level of identification it generated among the Spanish-speaking community on the platform.
The clip is part of a broader cultural debate on permissive parenting versus boundary-setting parenting, which has been one of the most discussed topics in the Hispanic TikTok ecosystem for years. Critics of so-called "gentle parenting" argue that, if misapplied, it results in children growing up without consequences for their actions or the skills necessary to interact with others.
This debate has resonated particularly among Cuban creators in exile, where there is a tension between the values of discipline inherent in traditional upbringing and the more permissive approaches adopted in countries like the United States. The Cuban Gabriel Alcántara criticized in December 2025 that many parents outside the Island substitute love with gifts and technology, generating more than 21,000 likes with his message: "It's not the children's fault, it's the parents'."
Another Cuban residing in Tampa, Jorge Rodríguez, published a viral video in July 2025 in which he taught his son the value of earning money through hard work, surpassing 23,000 interactions with his message that "money doesn't grow on trees."
"We are raising stupid people, crap and garbage that will be of no use," concluded @raizahernandez1608 in her video, a statement that, beyond its harshness, encapsulates the frustration shared by thousands of users regarding what they perceive as a generation of parents who have confused emotional respect with a complete lack of rules.
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