A 17-year-old boy in Daphne, Alabama, has been accused of fatally stabbing his mother and wounding his father following an argument over social media, according to a neighbour. The case is drawing attention because of the alleged trigger: Facebook posts in which the mother publicly complained about her son's behaviour. It underscores concerns about the tensions that can arise when parents air grievances about their children online.

Brandon Baker allegedly killed his mother, Samantha Baker, 37, and injured his father, Lance Baker, 46, at the family home on Sunday night. A next-door neighbour, Shawn Scurry, said he heard the pair loudly arguing beforehand over a comment on her page, with Samantha reportedly insisting it was "just a story" — a temporary post that vanishes after 24 hours. Her posts had frequently mocked her son's "attitude", including a meme reading "Gentle parenting is for gentle children. My thugs will be handled accordingly" and another declaring "Raising a teenage boy… 0/10 DO. NOT. RECOMMEND!" Scurry conceded she could "talk kind of rude about the kids" and suspected the online remarks were "starting to hurt him".