TikTokers Matt and Abby say being accused of leaving their children alone was a ‘wake-up call’

TikTok couple Matt and Abby Howard have addressed the “big wake-up call” they had after they were accused of leaving their two children unattended on a cruise ship.

In September, Abby sparked outrage when she posted an Instagram Story of her and Matt leaving their children – Griffin, two, and August, one – asleep in their room, while the couple went to dinner on the cruise ship.

She noted that she and Matt left one of their phones in the room and had it on a FaceTime call the entire time as a way of monitoring their babies. While people on TikTok accused the couple of leaving their babies alone, Abby and Matt later clarified that they “had someone with [their] children at all times on this boat,” since they were traveling with extended family.

In the new interview with People, the couple – who have more than 5.3 million followers on TikTok – said the incident has changed how they post on social media.

“Usually if people are upset with us online, it’s usually just some drama accounts on TikTok making videos, or on YouTube or whatever. But what’s different about this one is it hit tabloids and news articles,” Matt explained. “I think that was a big wake-up call like, ‘Okay, we got to be very careful when we post something to be very clear with what’s going on.’”

Abby agreed with her partner, saying they now check content with each other before posting it online.

“I would be like, ‘Hey, Matt, double check this. Am I telling this story accurately? I know it’s just a snapshot, but does this represent the situation correctly?’” she said.

Abby tries to block out the noise of the negative comments, which is why she doesn’t have the TikTok app on her phone. “She was like, ‘I don’t need this. I can make videos and we’ll just have someone post the video for us, and that’ll be it,’” Matt said about his wife. “She just realized, ‘For my mental health, I don’t need to see something negative.’”

When denying the claims they left their children unattended in September, Matt and Abby made it clear that they’re very protective of their family.

“We take our role as parents extremely seriously, and we love our children more than anything in the entire world,” Matt said at the time.

“We had someone with our children at all times on this boat. Period,” he added.

Abby then chimed in: “I can see where my story did lead to misunderstanding, which is why I ended up deleting it several hours after posting it.”

She said that although she is grateful for many people feeling concerned for her children, she echoed Matt’s claims that “we have not, would not, will not ever leave our children unattended.”

Matt and Abby, who have been together since high school, first rose to fame on TikTok in 2020, when they started documenting special moments in their relationship.

They went on to make videos about their parenting strategies and tactics. For example, in 2022, they shared a video titled “Day 26 of being parents,” which showed Matt feeding his then-newborn at 2am. While addressing how exhausted he was at the time, he also praised single mothers who spend so many nights up with their babies. That video quickly went viral, with more than 14.2 million views.

In February 2023, the pair released The Unplanned Podcast, where they have conversations about families and relationships.