Parents everywhere are in shock after the beloved "Ms. Rachel" (aka Rachel Griffin Accurso) announced she'll be taking a much-needed break from TikTok. The reason? Accurso says she's received many "hurtful comments and videos" in recent months that have impacted her mental health, and a break is long overdue.
"Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want," the YouTuber wrote in her post caption. "Only love can do that."
Ms. Rachel first made the announcement on Monday
Since then, her TikTok has received more than 7.5 million views and nearly 23,000 comments from concerned fans.
@msrachelforlittles Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want. Only love can do that. #mentalhealth #msrachel #tiktokbreak ♬ original sound – Ms Rachel
Though Ms. Rachel doesn't elaborate things further in the video (in fact, she just quickly sings the announcement in a 9-second clip), the implications are that internet trolls have finally gone too far.
Many people expressed their outrage in the comments section
"WAIT??! How could someone hate on Ms. Rachel!" one person asked.
"ONE THING WE WONT DO IS PLAY ABOUT MS RACHEL," someone else added.
In fact, a lot of people have grown protective of the YouTube star, who has risen to fame in the past few years for her educational music videos, "Songs for Littles."
"We ride at dawn for ms Rachel," one person declared.
"WHO HURT YOU???" asked someone else. "Hold my earrings, lemme get my keys."
Others simply showed up to lend their support
"I fully support [you]," wrote one dad. "Protect your peace."
"You are amazing and a light to this world," another mom shared. "My family and I will watch you and support you wherever you are! "
"MS RACHEL. I want you to know you are loved, you are cared for. And there are millions of kids who adore you," someone else reassured her.
Ms. Rachel's toddler learning videos are wildly popular
In some, she teaches important social skills for littles and works on improving their speech and self-confidence.
In others, she sings nursery rhymes and other fun kid songs that get toddlers singing and dancing right along with her.
According to her YouTube bio, Ms. Rachel has a masters in music education from NYU and is currently getting a second masters in early childhood education. But it was actually her own young son who first inspired her to start making the videos after struggling to cope with his speech delay.
Since then, she's managed to help countless other families navigate the very same issue.
“Our educational videos for kids are informed by research and are full of learning standards that will help preschoolers thrive!" her YouTube page states. “Along with baby videos and toddlers videos, we have preschool videos for children. We also have music classes and teach sign language.”
On TikTok, Ms. Rachel typically posts more content for parents
A lot of her videos are honest and even a little self-deprecating.
@msrachelforlittles What is balance #moms #msrachel #toddlermom #coffee ♬ original sound – Ms Rachel
Other times, she posts reaction videos to other parents' TikToks, which show just how much their own toddlers love her songs.
@msrachelforlittles #duet with @burr_iam #waving i love them! #msrachel #toddlermom #parentsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Amber Wallin
But clearly, not all of the feedback has been positive, and there have been one too many rude comments for Ms. Rachel to deal with at the moment.
Here's to hoping this mental health break serves her well (and that the haters back off).
