A trend using Adele’s lyrics goes viral for the wrong reasons. The TikTok trend uses When We Were Young for wonderful before and after photos of couples, siblings, and friends but ignited some gro*ming allegations against numerous people, including Hollywood and Filipino celebrities. As we browsed through the TikTok trend, here were the biggest age gaps we found under the sound and those who made much noise on the platform.
When We Were Young TikTok Trend That Went Viral
We found several videos that caught the TikTok users’ attention (and us, of course). Some may be known to you after seeing them on television or the big screen, while others are just surprising to know. Here are some of the videos that had many users calling them out for gro*ming accusations after posting their When We Were Young TikTok trend.
- TikTok user Jordan
Age Gap: Three years
Ages: 16 and 19 years old
To open this top 12 list of the biggest age gaps who joined the When We Were Young TikTok trend, users have been arguing whether this age gap is OK or not, but we don’t think it is. 16-year-olds are still minors, and 19 are of legal age; despite having ‘teen’ in their ages, it is still a no for many people. They are getting married, too, based on the video. The clip below was a compilation from a user of the most shocking age gaps they probably have seen around TikTok.
@jillfaines
- TikTok user (perhaps a now-deleted video)
Age Gap: Four years
Ages: 14 and 18 years old
We have been trying to find the video of the 14- and 18-year-old couple, but we’re having no luck. Even without the original video, the number of people searching for it on TikTok and even reaching X, pretty sure it’s just off and is not sitting right. Sure, a four-year age gap is not quite huge, but between a minor and a legal-age person? Oh no.
The “when we were young” trend on tiktok is massively concerning! Just because you’re 24 and 28 now it doesn’t make it ok that you were 14 and 18 when you first got together!! This isn’t even one of the biggest age gaps I’ve seen either.
— Rebecca Mash 🏴 (@Bex292) December 30, 2023
- TikTok user Taylor
Age Gap: Five years
Ages: 15 and 20 years old
The couple are already five years into their relationship; the guy and Taylor (the TikTok user’s name) are 24 and 19 years old, respectively. The comment feature is turned off in their video, but many would probably want to share their thoughts about this couple.
https://www.tiktok.com/@tay.bilbrey/video/7317378435276393758?_t=8ih2FDdS1kg&_r=1
- TikTok user Erika Cefalo
Age Gap: Five years
Ages: 14 and 19 years old
While this TikTok trend has many cute relationships, we just can’t imagine a 14-year-old with a 19-year-old, not at all. 14-year-olds are just in high school, while those around 19-year-olds are probably in their tertiary level already — yes, that’s a huge difference. Unfortunately, not everyone could get that point.
@emilyisverytired First the babysitter one now this.. idk how people think this is normal.
- TikTok user itsmeashtin
Age Gap: Seven years
Ages: 13 and 20 years old
The original video from user @itsmeashtin has already reached over 430K views and many comments since it was posted last December 29, 2023. If the 14-year-old, as mentioned earlier, seemed young, this woman was in a relationship at 13 years old with a 20-year-old man, so that is entirely not OK from any angle we look at it.
@mx.emmy #greenscreen #thisremindsmeofwhenwewereyoung #agegap #grooming
- TikTok user Haily Thompson
Age Gap: Nine years
Ages: 16 and 25 years old
Now, this TikTok trend just keeps getting worse, with the age gaps getting bigger. The When We Were Young trend goes viral for the wrong reason: gro*mers being exposed using a cute video that should be an aww moment, not a maddening one. This video became one of the most shocking ones; with a nine-year age gap, it’s off to see a 25-year-old being romantically involved with a teenager.
https://www.tiktok.com/@1andonlyya/video/7317870070695251243?_r=1&_t=8ih1VqspMTS
- TikTok user Samantha Gizzle
Age Gap: 15 years
Ages: 4 and 19 years old
This has been one of the most controversial couples that participated in this TikTok trend, and being surprised and disgusted isn’t enough to express what netizens were feeling. If you checked out the When We Were Young trend on TikTok and found the phrase the babysitter one on the related searches or the comments’ search bar, this is it. The guy was the girl’s babysitter, and we wrote four and 19 years old, as we weren’t able to know when the two became a couple, but they did meet during her toddler days. This caused a whirlwind of discussion on the platform regarding how he gro*med Samantha Gizzle (based on the original user’s account on TikTok if this is her real name).
@recoveredmom1 Age Gap Trend she married her babysitter?! What do you guys think about this?! It’s one thing to have an age gap but you met at age 4, so how long did he babysit you for?! Did you know him your entire life? Did you reconnect later in life?! How fid your parents know this man? How do they feel about it?! @💫NOSY💫 #agegaprelationship #agegap #agegaplove #babysitters #samanthagizzle #tiktoktea #tiktoknews #greenscreen
- TikTok user Judy Anne
Age Gap: 16 years
Ages: 15 and 31 years old
It’s uncomfortable even to think how a 15-year-old is in a relationship with a much older man, and they probably pass as father and daughter. Here’s the original video, but we also got a clip of a netizen expressing their sentiment after showing the When We Were Young trend of the Filipino couple. Also, they have been together for ten years, according to the photos posted. Just wow.
@bibay__ someone in the comment said the groom and the groomed huhuhuhu
- TikTok user Judy Anne
Age Gap: 23 years
Ages: 16 and 39 years old
If you think that 16 years is a big age gap, then how about 23 years? And to add more fuel to the fire, the woman is just 18 years old at present while the man is 41, and yes, they have their firstborn already one year old. Instead of being a cute TikTok trend, this had been getting out of hand with all the gro*ming issues surfacing on the app. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the couple’s TikTok video trend.
@cindynuriko Walang masama sana sa ganyang age gap kung parehas kayong nasa tamang edad jusko 🤦♀️🤦♀️ nakaka off ung comments section na ang daming tingin na okay lang yun basta nasusuportahan daw. OMG the grooming mentality at its finest.
- Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Age Gap: 23 years
Ages: 18 and 41 years old
Hollywood also has an entry, and this couple has been facing many issues for years. Netizens had been throwing gro*ming allegations against Sam, and given their 23-year age gap and her knowing Aaron since he was a kid, it seems like it. According to a TikTok comment, she’s known Aaron Taylor-Johnson since he was seven.
@meatform Together for about 15 years 💞 #CapCut #aarontaylorjohnson #bullettrainmovie #bullettrainfilm #agegap #agegapcouple #agegaplove #agegaprelationship #celebrity #hollywood #relationship #aarontaylorjohnsonedit #fyp
- Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna
Age Gap: 34 years
Ages: 23 and 57 years old
Filipinos have always known about the huge age gap between the veteran host and actor Vic Sotto and host-actress Pauleen Luna-Sotto. They met when Pauleen was still a child, and she joined Eat Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines segment. Years later, she joined the EB family, and at 23 and 57 years old, the two started dating. This love story just doesn’t sit well with many people, given that they met when Pauleen was still a child. But for others, they did become a couple when the woman was of right and legal age already. How about you? What’s your thought about their age difference?
@kamarsayhh #CapCut despite sa age gap, napatunayan po talaga nila na age doesn’t matter. 💜 ss #pauleenluna #vicsotto #pauleenlunasotto #whenwewereyoung #foryou
- Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla (36 years, 61 and 25 years old)
Age Gap: 36 years
Ages: 25 and 61 years old
Among all the age gaps we have seen under this TikTok trend, the late Filipino comedian Dolphy and singer-actress Zsa Zsa Padilla have the biggest difference. Despite their age gap, both were of legal age when they started their relationship, which made this one of the most unexpected relationships in the Philippine entertainment industry. You can check out the When We Were Young trend that their fans made for the two here.
36 years pala ang age difference ni ZsaZsa kay Mang Dolphy.
— Mommy Moments PH (@mommymomentsph_) July 15, 2012
This TikTok trend gave the users a rollercoaster ride of emotions with all those who joined the When We Were Young hype. While some warmed our hearts, other netizens can’t wrap their heads around many exposed gro*mers on the platform with a single trend (that was supposed to be fun and cute). A minor being together with a person of legal age should in no way be normalized or tolerated. Age gaps are not really the problem; it’s the ages when the two people started dating each other. So, no matter how huge a gap is, as long as both are of the right age, that seems to be no problem at all.
