Trigger Warning: This article mentions details of violence.
A 30-year-old mother from Missouri, Elena Lujan, is accused of threatening to kill her two young children during a TikTok livestream on Saturday. She allegedly threatened to kill her children, ages 3 and 7 out of extreme frustration. Police say she was drunk and passed out at home. She has been arrested for child abuse and is being held without bond.
According to a probable cause statement filed in Cole County Circuit Court, Elena Lujan was visibly aggressive during the livestream. A child was crying in the background as she continued to hurl abuses at them. “Go to sleep before I f—— kill you,” she said. She kept repeating threats to kill the children, saying she’d do it even if it meant going to jail.
She made threats on a TikTok live stream to hurt her children and JCPD actually showed up👇 hopefully they keep her in jail
https://t.co/Ytmn3Zczv1
— Elisha (@Glockgirl357) November 11, 2025
According to Law&Crime, when cops arrived past midnight, Lujan was reportedly intoxicated and passed out in the children’s room. Officers noted an open bottle of tequila on the kitchen counter and broken glass on the floor.
The statement says a 3-year-old child was lying on the living room couch, while a 7-year-old was asleep in Lujan’s bedroom. Due to her level of intoxication, it took several minutes to wake her.
Lujan was later taken into custody and placed in a patrol car, where she allegedly spat at an officer through the open window. She refused to provide a breath sample and was transported to a local police station. Reportedly, Elena Lujan was the only adult who was in the house when the cops arrived.
Yay, TikTok is back and whatever (boo), but can y’all at least realize you have a real addiction?
The harsh reactions like posting yourself crying, throwing tantrums, writing manifestos, is NOT NORMAL.
Social media addiction is real and too many of y’all have it.
— yappychuuu 💭 (@yappychuuu) January 19, 2025
During the livestream, police report that Lujan can be heard yelling at one of her children and instructing them to say “yes, ma’am.” The child, crying, complied. As Elena Lujan gets charged with child abuse, the case brings out yet another shocking example of how excessive use of social media or gaming can cause a negative rush of aggressive emotions.
Meanwhile, as most of us know, TikTok happens to be one of the most used entertainment platforms in the United States and within country rankings, the United States led with 135 million users, followed by Indonesia with 107 million and Brazil with 92 million. In addition, it ranks as the fifth most-used social platform globally, behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Experts warn that excessive social media use can have harmful effects. A 2022 study from the Frontiers in Psychology journal found that TikTok is the most highly addictive of all social media platforms.
TikTok’s constant flow, filled with visually appealing videos and clips, keeps users engaged by delivering a constant stream of entertaining, personalised content that can make time feel like it’s flying by.
Researchers call this effect being “caught in an entertainment spiral.” The app has been linked to mood swings and depression, with users in America struggling to disconnect from reality and problems at work or school.
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People (even adults) who use TikTok for more than an hour a day are more likely to develop addictive behaviors and may lose track of how long they’ve been using it. Addicted users often feel restless or irritable when they can’t use TikTok.
While in countries like India and Nepal, the app is completely banned, after several legal challenges, the Supreme Court upheld the law on January 19, 2025, and the app went offline that night.
However, on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order extending the ban by 75 days to allow time for further negotiations. Currently, TikTok cannot be downloaded or updated in U.S. app stores, though users who already have the app can still access it.
