The controversial Sabrina Carpenter lyrics that have sparked PTSD backlash

Sabrina Carpenter’s witty wordplay and cheeky innuendos have propelled her from Disney star to one of music’s most self-aware hitmakers.

But her new song Nobody’s Son – featured on the album Man’s Best Friend – has struck a different kind of chord and this time, one that mental health advocates say hits the wrong note.

The 26-year-old singer’s lyrics, ‘That boy is corrupt, get PTSD on the daily’ has drawn criticism from PTSD UK, a charity that has accused the artist of trivialising a serious mental health condition.

In an open letter to Carpenter and her label, the organisation called the lyric ‘medically inaccurate’ and ‘disappointing,’ warning that the casual use of such terms risks ‘minimising the experiences of those living with PTSD or C-PTSD.’

The line’s viral spread on TikTok, where users have folded it into memes and edits, has only amplified the charity’s concern.

PTSD UK argued that turning the phrase into a social media punchline reinforces cultural misunderstandings of trauma: ‘When serious mental health conditions are used inaccurately or casually, it reinforces misunderstanding and stigma,’ the letter stated.