> baby with a giant deformed head in some kind of medical setting, unable to tell if that baby is real -- if it is, then it's not a good situation for that baby

I think I know which baby you’re referring to. If it’s a mom tending to the baby, then that baby is fine. I agree it’s shock value, and in fact is so shocking that I took a screenshot of it: https://twitter.com/theshawwn/status/1512778289676496902?s=2...

But the truth is that the baby is profoundly disabled and is barely responsive. Using them for social media attention at least gives you some money to better tend to them.

(There are lots of examples in that thread which illustrate your overall point. Tiktok can be quite the carnival.)