Halston, four, is all about singing, dancing – and as her mum, Madison Fisher, recently revealed, her little tot is also obsessed with ”being fancy”.
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In fact, the girl loves acting to be grown-up so much, the mother reckons she’s basically like a ”teenager”, admitting Halston’s ”so serious about it”.
Madison, believed to be from the USA, also recently posted a clip of the child pretending to be way older than her years – however, the now-viral video was soon slammed by social media users, who insisted the behaviour was anything but ”cute”.
In the footage, shared on Halston’s very own Instagram page, the four-year-old kid could be seen walking around the house in stylish cowboy boots, paired with a mini purse, as well as a large phone in her hands.
As she’s walking past her mum who was filming her kid’s amusing behaviour, Halston was asked if she was ”a real teenager” – to which the little girl instantly replied with a ”yeah”.
”4 year old teenager? She’s so serious about it,” the mum wrote in the caption of the video alongside a few laughing emojis.
But whilst she may have found the attitude funny, people on Instagram were anything but impressed, as thousands raced to comments to share their thoughts.
Many reckoned the mother-of-five was in for a surprise as Halston grows older, with one warning her: ”She’s going to be trouble”.
Someone else was just as baffled, wondering: ”Omg, sorry, but why isn’t she playing with toys and wearing colourful and ridiculous clothes like us?”
Another chimed in: ”This is just sad. Not funny. Another child without childhood.
”No rush to be an adult, you know, she will be an adult most part of her life.”
”Kids at Sephora be like:,” a fourth penned.
However, it wasn’t all negative, as there were also loads of those who thought it the ”pretend” game was totally harmless fun.
One person hit back at the haters, writing: ”The outfit is completely appropriate, even if it is dress up and her attitude is obviously pretend.
”She’s adorable & I miss doing things like this with my little cousins.”
”4 years old and already an icon,” a supportive Instagram user added.
Another agreed, adding: ”For people who take it too seriously: CHILL it’s not that deep!!
”It’s just a kid playing dress up in a cute outfit! She’s a girly girl and that’s absolutely fine!! She’s a rock star.”
At some point, all parents will face the dilemma of whether or not their child is ready for a phone – so, at what age should you get your kid one?
Carolyn Bunting, CEO of e-safety organisation Internet Matters said: “Every child is different and whether it be a sign of maturity or peace of mind; parents know intuitively what the right age is for their child to be given a smartphone.”
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, added: “The crucial thing is to start introducing online safety as soon as they begin to go online – whether that’s on a laptop or tablet at home or their first mobile – so internet safety is just part and parcel of being online.
“We’d suggest making this conversation part of your everyday life, so it becomes natural for children to discuss any safety concerns with their parents.”
What phone is safe for a child at what age?
If you think your kids are ready for a phone, there are child-friendly models available in the market.
For the most part, kids are ready for a phone by age 13 – however, this is down to the maturity of the child, as well as the necessity of the device.
Ofcom advises using a basic handset if your child just needs a way to get in touch in an emergency or send short texts.
If your children are just keen on downloading apps, watching videos or browsing on the internet you may be best off getting a tablet instead.
If you’re sticking with a phone, look for devices like the Monqi Kids Smartphone which let parents set limits for surfing, downloading and texting.