This Mom Has A Genius Hack For Hiding Your Phone From Your Kid

Sometimes, I’m a giant hypocrite. I will tell my three-year-old that she’s had too much TV time for the day and needs to play on her own for a bit. Then, I set up on the couch and begin to scroll TikTok mindlessly.

Yes, of course, I am the parent and can essentially do whatever I want. However, I often think about what kind of example I’m setting by preaching about screen time while glued to my phone right in her line of sight?

Well, one mom on TikTok has a hack for that mom guilt we all feel when we find ourselves glued to our phones, and it’s pretty genius.

TikTok mom, Farah Pink, confessed that she feels like a “piece of s—t” when she’s on her phone while her daughter is playing.

So, she decided to take extra measures to ensure that her daughter could play independently while she unwinds on her phone.

In the video, Pink confesses she went online and bought a fake book that only has a few real pages along with an insert where she can put her phone.

“The pages look pretty real but you can only flip the first few pages,” she says while showing off the item. “Then here in the middle you can stick your phone in it.”

She demonstrates that she can now chill on the couch, seemingly reading a book, while her daughter plays. “She's gonna think I'm reading but really I'm on my phone and she's gonna be playing,” she explained.

“I'm setting a really good example,” Pink joked.

The TikTok video — which now has garnered over 50k views — had tons of comments, praising the innovative parenting hack.

“Wait this is genius but also sad that we must go to these lengths 😂😂😂,” one user wrote.

Another echoed, “Hi, are we best friends? Because you're a genius!”

While her idea sparked joy in many, others weren’t so sure that the hack would work on their kids. “My kids would be all up in my business wanting me to read to them 😂,” one user commented.

“No but my kid will take the book from me 😂,” another wrote.

To which the OP replied, “😂 It’s only a matter of time before she catches on”

Of course, Pink’s hack is all in good fun, but there is actually a phrase for parents secretly (or not so secretly) playing on their phones in front of their kids parental phubbing, and research to show that it can have lasting effects on children’s mental health and development.

Obviously the best course of action to curb any sort of effects of excessive cell phone use is to cut back, be present, and engage with our kids. However, for those times when we’re burnt out and need a break, the cellphone in the fake book trick might be the way to go.