Videos of mothers holding their babies while crying have sparked a heated backlash on TikTok as the trial of US mother Lindsay Clancy continues in Massachusetts. The videos show women rocking or holding infants and toddlers while using excerpts from Clancy's personal writings as on-screen text. Some posts include phrases such as "same, Lindsay", appearing to express sympathy with the struggles described in her journals.
The posts have faced strong criticism online, with users accusing some creators of turning a tragedy into social media content. Critics have also questioned whether the videos could glamorise or trivialise the killing of children.
Some users have called for the videos to be removed, while others have raised concerns about children being featured in content linked to a case involving the killing of three young children.
Video: Lindsay Clancy Murder Case Explained: What Is Postpartum Psychosis?
The backlash comes as Clancy's murder trial puts her mental health and her experience as a mother under intense scrutiny. Clancy is accused of killing her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, at the family's home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023.
Watch the videos here:
What happened in the Lindsay Clancy case?
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. Her defence says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for her actions. Prosecutors have taken a different position, arguing that Clancy acted intentionally when she killed her children. They say she was able to act in a planned and purposeful manner.
The court has heard excerpts from Clancy's journals describing severe insomnia, anxiety and the pressure she felt while caring for her children. In one entry, she wrote about desperately wanting a mental break and later said she wanted help and wanted to be well.
The defence has argued that these writings show the extent of her deteriorating mental state. Prosecutors, however, dispute the claim that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis when the killings took place.
The trial has also renewed debate about postpartum mental illness. Experts and advocates have warned that the intense focus on the case could increase stigma around serious mental health conditions affecting new mothers.
As the trial continues, the TikTok controversy has added another layer to the public reaction. Critics say there is a difference between raising awareness about maternal mental health and recreating or performing aspects of a real tragedy for social media attention.
The case remains before the court, and Clancy's defence and the prosecution continue to present competing accounts of her mental state at the time of the children's deaths.
