I’m a teen mum on Universal Credit – trolls tell me to ‘get a job’ but benefits exist for people like me

A TEEN mum has been slammed for being on Universal Credit after opening up about her life on social media.

Loula Wood, 18, recently took to TikTok to reveal she claims benefits as a young mum, and has no regrets about it.

In a now viral video, Loula revealed that people tell her to “get a job” and to “stop using our tax money” by people.

But for Loula, that's exactly why the system exists, to help people just like her who need financial help.

At just 18-years-old, the mum also recently moved into a council house, which trolls online also had something to say about.

In one video, which has so far amassed over 37k views, one person urged Loula to spend her time differently, they commented: “The time and effort you put into your videos could be better spent finding yourself a job.”

But Loula hit back and wrote: “How do you know I’m not already doing that? Think before you jump to conclusions about someone you know so little about.”

Luckily, others were more supportive of the young mum and understood the struggle of raising a baby without a lot of money.

“Wait until people realise that most jobs don’t pay enough and 70% of those on Universal Credit still work. I get student loan and UC because it’s physically not enough to survive with two children,” one person pointed out.

And another mum said she found herself in a similar situation and had no choice but to claim benefits.

She said: “I got fired for being pregnant and people say ‘go get a job' – nobody’s gonna hire me 27 weeks pregnant needing to go on leave soon. And I need money for my baby!!!!”

Loula offered support to the fellow TikTok user as she agreed that's why the system exists in the first place.

“Exactly!! This is why the moneys there,” she replied, “Everyone who has a job just assumes your situation. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Meanwhile, someone else chimed in and wrote: “People should be grateful they don’t have to use UC, things can change very quick so be mindful of your words.”

And another TikTok user agreed with Loula, they wrote: “‘I’m paying taxes for lazy people to get their hair and nails done' – actually, we're starving for about two weeks on the money we getting from UC, you ain’t paying for no one’s nails.”

What is Universal Credit?

Universal Credit is a welfare scheme which was designed to combine several of the old “legacy benefits” into a single monthly payment.

The old legacy benefits it replaced are:

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Working Tax Credit

Who is eligible for Universal Credit?

Whether you are eligible will depend on your specific circumstances.

You may be eligible if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you’re on a low income or out of work
• you’re 18 or over (there are some exceptions if you’re 16 to 17)
• you’re under State Pension age (or your partner is)
• you and your partner have £16,000 or less in savings between you
• you live in the UK

Your partner’s income and savings will be taken into account, even if they are not eligible for Universal Credit.

There are other factors that might make you eligible for a claim, for instance, if you care for a disabled person, you're in further education or you've recently had a child.

You can read the full eligibility criteria on the government's website.