The "My tag" trend has caused controversy on social media. What is known about this

At the beginning of 2026, the trend "My tag" gained popularity on social networks. As part of it, mothers kiss their sons on the lips and record it on video. The videos caused a sharp negative reaction from Russian users and concern from experts. Psychologists warn that such behavior may indicate serious violations of boundaries and pose risks to the child's mental development. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

How the trend appeared

The trend "My tag" began to spread on social networks under the song of the band Dabro "You know, mom." In the first videos, mothers were shown tags from the hospital with the newborn's parameters — weight and height, and then compared them with already adult children.

The format quickly became viral due to its emotional component and family theme. The videos were accompanied by playful scenes where a mother tried to pick up an already grown-up child, which caused a positive reaction from the audience.

However, the content of the videos has changed over time. In a number of publications, mothers began to demonstrate excessively close physical contact with their teenage and adult sons — kissing on the lips, hugging, posing, resembling a romantic relationship. The videos have gained millions of views due to their provocative presentation, and the hashtag "The same tag after 20 years" has tens of millions of views on TikTok.

User reaction

The majority of social media users reacted negatively to such content. The comments accuse of sexualizing relationships and violating boundaries.:

"Girls, who knows at what age it starts? I just want to keep my finger on the pulse", "Please stop", "Mom treats the head and rabies of the uterus, and the sons — the psyche", "I'm always shocked by this sexualization of sons", "The son here is a psychological husband for mom", "I really like that these moms are designated, the girl will come in on a social network, he'll look at his future mother-in-law and realize what she doesn't need."

Typical reactions include concern and criticism of mothers' behavior. Users write about the inadmissibility of such videos and the possible consequences for the psyche of children, and also discuss the phenomenon of "mama's boys" and dependent relationships.

What psychologists say

As explained by Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Professor of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, clinical psychologist Alexey Melekhin, such behavior has a clear definition in psychology.

"This phenomenon, when mothers post videos with grown-up sons, where they kiss them on the lips, hug them and ask them to pick them up, is called psychological incest. In psychoanalysis or clinical psychology, this suggests that mothers have a certain deficit — they are disappointed in male figures, cannot build relationships, are offended by fathers and raise their children as some kind of ideal partners," he said.

According to the expert, in such cases, the child becomes a kind of "project" of the mother.

"The mother puts into this child what she lacks, for example, in men. She raises him for herself so that he looks as she likes, behaves comfortably, and is always there for her," Melekhin explained.

The specialist paid special attention to the importance of the way a mother shows her love for her sons.

"A kiss on the lips mostly indicates that a special closeness is being formed. Lips are an erogenous zone, and hypererotization leads to fixation. Such boys can then demonstrate obsessive forms of behavior," he stressed.

What is the danger of the trend?

According to the psychologist, such a relationship can lead to serious consequences for the child.

"Such a child does not understand how a mother differs from a woman. The boundaries of what is allowed are shifting. His psychosexuality is impaired, he does not understand what is acceptable and what is not," Melekhin said.

He added that such children are often in a state of dependence.

"Such boys are unhappy because they are codependent on their mother. They develop passivity, and their ability to self—socialize decreases," the specialist explained.

The expert also pointed out the more severe forms that occur in practice.

"There are scarier cases when it comes to sexual relations, intense jealousy and complete control. This is already a pathological form of behavior," he said.

How does this affect the future

The psychologist noted that the figure of a father or other significant adult plays a key role in the formation of healthy boundaries.

"It is important that the child sees two different models of relationships — parental and partner. If this does not happen, it affects his further socialization and the ability to build relationships," concluded Melekhin.

The trend reflects not only the features of social media content, but also deeper psychological problems that require attention from specialists and society.

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