TikTokers are calling out the ethics of filming elderly people seemingly without their consent after a viral video sparked controversy

• A recent viral clip of an elderly woman leaving a screening of "Barbie" has sparked controversy.
• Some viewers praised the woman for "loving herself." Others criticized the TikToker for recording her.
• Videos of people filmed while they're seemingly oblivious are increasingly common on social media.

A mega-viral TikTok video of an elderly woman leaving a movie theatre alone has sparked controversy, as many viewers are criticizing the user for recording videos of people in public, seemingly without consent.

The video was posted on July 28 by a user who goes by @lisaturation. It appeared to have been filmed while the end credits for the  "Barbie" movie showed on a cinema screen and "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish played in the background.

The video caption reads, "Saw this queen leave the theatre alone after Barbie."

The video has been viewed over 10.5 million times, and a mixed response in the comments section.

One top comment, which received over 96,000 likes, read, "She is the beauty of loving your self enough to go out alone." 

But many viewers commented that the creator was wrong to film the stranger, saying it was inappropriate and intrusive, especially as she didn't seem to know she was being filmed.

On July 29, a TikToker who goes by the username @nothingbutkap, stitched the video video and criticized the trend. So far, this video has over 1.8 million views. 

She said, "Y'all will just take videos and pictures of old people and just get out here and cry. Stop taking videos of old people. Stop it."

Many viewers agreed with the sentiment, and suggested that someone doing things alone wasn't a reason to pity them. One viewer wrote in a comment that they are starting to do things alone more, but that they are concerned that someone will record them and post them online with "some sad music." 

One viewer seemed confused by the popularity of the original video. In a reply, the creator wrote that it was because "society thinks old people are sad for some reason."

The video creator has since posted several more videos responding to comments. In response to one user, who wrote, "Gotta love old people in the wild," she posted a TikTok video compilation of elderly people walking around what appeared to be a European city.

In the video caption she wrote, "old people hit different in Paris."

In response to another user, who criticized her for "recording strangers," she posted another TikTok video that was comprised of lots of short clips, including a violinist playing alone, a crowded train, pigeons eating bread on the grass, and the Eiffel Tower.

In a voiceover, she said she wanted viewers to remember they weren't alone.

Some viewers questioned why the user had so many videos of strangers, while others were confused by the message, and thought she'd missed the point of the comment she was replying to.

It's not the first time a discussion around older people seeing "Barbie" has blown up on the app.

On July 29, a similar TikTok video of an elderly couple leaving a screening of "Barbie" together went viral. "Can't not cry after watching Barbie and then seeing this," wrote the video creator, who goes by the username @shakina.a1.

The video received a staggering 45 million views. Lots of commenters referred to it as "cute" and shared their own stories of encounters with older people, including at "Barbie" screenings.

But often when videos of elderly people doing things alone go viral on TikTok, the captions and the comments suggest they find the scenes "sad," or speculating that the people in these videos are "lonely and miserable."  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people aged 50 or older are at risk of becoming socially isolated or lonely, which can be associated with an increased risk of certain health concerns. However, a 2016 study found that stereotyping older people as being lonely can actually increase the risk of loneliness.

Filming strangers and posting the videos on social media without their consent has become increasingly controversial as some of the subjects of these viral clips have spoken out against it. In July 2020, a woman who had been given a bunch of flowers and her reaction was filmed without her realizing told ABC Radio Melbourne that she felt "dehumanized" by the experience. Some creators have doubled down on their choice, saying they're trying to raise awareness, or encourage people to perform acts of kindness similar to the ones they're filming. 

The TikTok creator @lisaturation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.