A TikTok creator known online as Ms. Rachel has announced that she is temporarily stepping away from social media for her mental health.
The 40-year-old mom - whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso - became a viral sensation among young children for her musical and educational content.
She started her YouTube channel in 2019 and now has over 3.14 million subscribers, and also shares content on TikTok, where she has over 2.6 million followers.
On Monday (March 6), the preschool teacher informed her followers that she will be taking a break after some parents expressed concerns over her co-star Jules - who goes by the handle @julessingsforlittles - using they/them/their pronouns.
Watch the video below:The caption of her video reads: "Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you [what] you want. Only love can do that," and in the nine-second clip she sings: "I’m taking a break from TikTok for my mental health."
As of the time of writing, the video had amassed 9.2 million views and 896.1K likes with many users flooding the comment section with support for the creator.
One user wrote: "So sorry Mrs. Rachel. We absolutely love you and will be here for you when now and when you return!"
Another said: "NOW WHO’S BEING MEAN TO OUR BEST FRIEND[?]"
A third commented: "ok where are these pple?! we ride at dawn lets go!"
A fourth shared: "You are a gift to our children. Please take care of yourself."
In recent weeks, Ms. Rachel has faced criticism from some parents on the video-sharing app such as creator @mama_burg - who is a self-proclaimed "traditional mother".
In one video, the parent declared that they "had to stop watching" Rachel's content because she "introduces they/them/their pronouns" and in another, she slammed a video Jules did about being brave for a forthcoming operation and wrote: "The fact that she has Jules on the show is enough for me."
On March 2, the musician posted a video responding to the vitriol from commenters and heartfully penned: "I want to address the [elephant] in the room in the best way I know how - by teaching kids about love and acceptance.
"Kids around us, they are absorbing and [seeing] to us for our responses, how we react, how we treat others. They remember what we say and what we believe and it can either bring them closer to us, to share their truest selves with us, or push them away.
"Take care of yourselves and each other. Reach down deep inside you when things get icky, take some deep breaths, sure - be a crabby for a bit, remember it's ok to cry, and then respond with [love] and kindness. Let’s do this fam," she concluded.
A few days before announcing her social media break, Rachel revealed that she received negative emails in a video that was captioned: "Skipping away from mean emails but also sending love because 'hurt people hurt people.'"
Unfortunately, her statement was not enough for the trolls as they still sent negative remarks, which eventually led to her taking a break.
