Grandma-granddaughter duo goes viral after sharing their bond online: ‘The sweetest’

A woman is sharing the value of grandparents with millions of people online by setting an example through her relationship with her grandmother.

Emma Grace Burke, 19, and her grandmother Eve-Anne Wall, 83 – who she calls Memama – began creating content on TikTok in 2022, following the death of Wall's husband. Since then, the duo have become a popular presence on the app, garnering 1.2 million viewers who devotedly like and share their content.

Burke spoke with Newsweek about her relationship with her grandmother and what she means to her in the digital age.

Burke said Newsweek that she spent “practically every day” of her life with her grandmother. The same day she was born, her grandfather decided to retire and move to the Florida town where Burke's family lives – just a few blocks away.

“My grandparents were involved in virtually every aspect of my life, attending every school program, talent show and dance performance,” Burke said.

“When I became a teenager, I stayed very close to my grandparents. Even though I spent more time with friends than with them, we still had our special time together and they never missed a school event or home game to watch me cheer.”

Her grandparents were the constant in her life until her grandfather, Wall's husband, passed away a few years ago. After 50 years of marriage, Wall was devastated. That's when things started to change in Burke and Wall's relationship.

“I was trying to think of things I could do to cheer her up and bring some laughter back into our lives, so I asked her to create a TikTok of us trying some new Little Debbie ice cream flavors together,” Burke said. “She didn't know what TikTok was, but she was happy to try some ice cream.”

Although her account had barely any followers, the Little Debbie ice cream was a hit: “That one TikTok went viral with over 3.1 million views,” Burke said. “Memama had so much fun on TikTok that we ended up making more and more videos together. My TikTok page evolved and was now all about my adventures with Memama.”

The people in Burke's TikTok videos are vocal about their love for her content: “You two are the cutest,” one user wrote under a video of the two performing a TikTok dance. “Emma Grace, I promise you are the best thing that ever happened to your memama!”

“Life is constantly changing”

Since beginning her TikTok journey, Burke said her relationship with her grandmother has developed into a true friendship. “She's one of my best friends,” Burke said.

But cross-generational friendships offer something different than peer relationships: wisdom. And, says Burke, Wall has plenty of that.

“The lessons we can learn from past generations are priceless. Our grandparents lived for several generations, and the knowledge they pass on is so important if we just take the time to listen and learn from them,” she said.

“I love listening to my grandmother tell stories from her life. She taught me that life is constantly changing and that you have to learn to adapt and be resilient to change.

“I saw her do this in her own life and now look, she's a TikTok star at 83!”

Burke urged other people her age to reach out to their grandparents and spend time with them, even if they have no plans to become internet famous.

“If they don't live nearby, call them,” she said. “Make the most of the time you have with them. Plan a trip together and travel with them. Find out what they have in common and honor their relationship with their grandparents.”

As for her own relationship with her grandmother, Burke said she is constantly aware of how special this moment in her life is.

“We experience things together that we never dreamed of, and because we document so many of our adventures on TikTok, I will cherish these videos forever,” she said. “I know my grandfather is looking down and laughing with us.”