A mum has divided opinion with other parents after sharing the method she and her husband use to encourage their children to stop swearing.
Melanie Dale is a mum of three and an author who has penned 'Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting', which is due for release later this year.
She recently posed a video on TikTok after noticing her children's text messages have been 'getting a little too spicy' and decided to take action.
In the clip titled 'Something for your mind - luv mom and dad' she writes: "My husband updated their auto text to gently remind them."
It then shows a swear word being typed on one of their children's phones, which is autocorrected to a message reading: "Sweet daughter, please stop using this word. Luv Dad."
When another swear word is tried instead, it is again replaced with a note to say: "You're a sweet girl. Try 'sugar' instead. Luv Dad."
An attempt to type 'Jesus' is also substituted, but this time with the dad joke: "'Were you praying to me?' - Jesus."
The video has racked up almost 800,000 views since being posted and has received a very mixed reaction in the comments below.
Some loved the idea, with one commenting: "This is actually hilarious. There's no problem with it I don't know why you guys are freaking out. The kids probably thought it was funny."
Another said: "If my mum saw me curse, I'd lose my phone for a while. Sooo I'd say this is the funnier and cuter alternative."
But others disagreed and called it 'intrusive', with one arguing: "That's super controlling... It's a minor way of doing so but this is why kids don't trust their parents."
Another replied: "Here's an idea. Don't go through their phones."
A third commented: "You obviously don't understand that this is controlling and your kids are just appeasing to you. You should get off their phones, period."
