A dad who set up a genius trap after spotting his son sneaking out of the house has gone viral as people praised his parenting.
Having caught his son leaving the house, TikTok user Rhythmlessman got to work to ensure he knew the rule-breaking hadn't gone unnoticed on his return.
The dad knew the window his son would have to use to get back into the home after his adventure, and he set up Ring doorbell cameras in the room that could detect motion, linking them to an Amazon Alexa.
When they sensed movement, Alexa was programmed to wait 15 seconds before turning on the Wi-Fi bulbs in the lamps and reading out a pre-programmed message to his unsuspecting son.
Warning: Video contains explicit language.
Footage from the cameras show his son silently climbing back in through the window, followed by a long procession of friends, triggering the trap and turning the lights on once they were all inside.
The smart speaker then says: "Hi Jesse. Next time just say you want to go out so you don't need to climb through a window with all your friends. I hope you had fun, were safe, and didn't cr** your pants when I started talking.
"I may go viral on TikTok with this. Thanks for the content."
The set-up left the group in stitches, with his son swearing at the camera before adding: "I love you."
The dad's prediction of going viral came true, with the video being watched more than 13 million times and racking up 26,000 comments - but it divided opinion among viewers.
Some criticised the dad for allowing his son to swear at him in response, and he responded to say: "This is our relationship. We all curse in our family. He's not cursing at me, he's giving props for busting him creatively!'
And plenty of others praised him for the move, with one arguing back to say: "You do realise kids with this type of relationship with their parents have more respect for them than strict ones."
Another added: "This is how my family talks to each other. It's not a disrespectful thing, it's banter."
