A mother posts a video to YouTube of her two small sons. They dump Legos on the floor, sit on unmade beds and get toothpaste on the bathroom counter.

They hold up signs for the camera that say: "We got toothpaste everywhere in the bathroom," and "We made a HUGE mess with our Legos" and "We think our rooms are clean."

None of these scenes are uncommon in a home with young children, mine included. It's what kids do. But this mother uses the images to shame her boys.

The video is among more than 30,000 that show up when you search "child-shaming video" on YouTube. These videos are popping up all over social media, sparking controversy about whether this form of public discipline is tough-love parenting or bullying. Though they're popular, experts caution the videos might cause more problems than they solve.

Among the most clicked is one posted in May by Denver mom Valerie Stark, who berated her 13-year-old daughter because the child created a racy Facebook page.

"She's a kid, and she's going to stay a kid," Stark said for the camera. "And as long as she's under my roof, she's going to do what I say."

Her video was viewed more than 10 million times, and Stark got thousands of accolades from parents from around the country for her strict approach to discipline. She created a second video to thank people for all the support.

But Dr. Deborah Donison, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Detroit and Clawson, said Stark's approach doesn't work.

For more on this article in the Detroit Free Press by  Kristen Jordan Shamus see this: http://www.freep.com/story/lif...discipline/29583005/