About

The Password Child is a slang term referring to the child whose name a parent uses as their online password, implying they're the favorite child. The term is inspired by a viral video posted to TikTok in October 2021 and became popularized in videos on the platform that November, also gaining virality outside of TikTok in the following months and in early 2022.

Origin

On October 20th, 2021, TikToker^[1] @kekechanel_ posted a skit about how her parents say they don't have a favorite child, followed by a clip of her standing with her hands on her hips labeled "the password," gaining over 10 million views in seven months (shown below).

On November 11th, TikTokers^[2][3] @acrainss and @hannahmelochewhy posted videos where they celebrate being "the password child," gaining over 1.1 million and 7 million views respectively in six months (shown below, left and right).

Spread

On November 13th, 2021, Urban Dictionary^[4] user Ole dadd defined "password child," writing: "The obvious favorite child as the majority of their passwords are crafted using their birthdate or name." On November 15th, TikToker^[5] @itsreallynando posted a video about being the password child, gaining over 9.9 million views in six months (shown below).

The term continued to spread on TikTok over the following months in similar videos, becoming increasingly popular in 2022. In May 2022, several videos were uploaded joking about not being a password child, instead being the reason their parent drinks. On May 8th, TikToker^[7] @kipayne posted a video like this, gaining over 1.9 million views in two weeks (shown below, left). On May 16th, TikToker^[8] @jessicacordell6 posted a similar video, gaining over 9.2 million views in a week (shown below, right). The term also started to see use on Twitter^[9] that month. On May 23rd, MEL Magazine^[6] published an article about the term.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References