A troubling new TikTok trend has left parents, educators and online safety experts deeply concerned, with critics warning that teenagers are turning humiliation into entertainment.
What may look like harmless fun in a short video is, in reality, causing real harm to unsuspecting participants.
The challenge typically begins with a group of teens dancing, before handing their phone to an unsuspecting bystander under the guise of asking them to film.
After a few seconds, one teen abruptly flips the camera toward the person holding the phone, capturing their startled or awkward reaction.
That clip (often featuring someone who believed they were simply helping) is then posted publicly online for laughs.
Once uploaded, the humiliation only deepens as strangers flood the comment section with reactions, often mocking the person who never agreed to be filmed in the first place.
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Creators and Viewers Call Out the Trend as Bullying
Backlash against the trend has grown rapidly.
TikTok users have criticized the challenge for preying on introverted teens, quieter classmates, or simply those kind enough to offer assistance.
The setup, they say, turns kindness into embarrassment.
Jools Lebron, creator of last year’s viral “very demure” trend, condemned the challenge in an emotional video. “All I just see is a bunch of faces of people who are just trying to help,” she said through tears.
Another creator, @keith_toks, called it the most “degrading trend” the platform has seen.
“This is not just kids having fun; this is kids getting away with bullying and then posting it on social media for everybody to see,” he said.
One viral video posted by @dreyysiller shows an American mother sternly warning her two preteens not to participate in the challenge.
“I’d better not catch you doing anything like that,” she tells them, emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.
According to bullying prevention advocates, her reaction is far from overblown.
Why Experts Say the Trend Crosses the Line Into Cruelty
Janet Grima, CEO of Bully Zero Australia, told news.com.au that the trend targets those least equipped to handle public embarrassment.
“The humor relies on them looking awkward or surprised, and that’s when it crosses from playful to cruel,” she said.
“It’s basically social humiliation dressed up as content.”
Grima warned that the normalization of this behavior is part of a larger shift in online culture.
“What was once clearly recognized as bullying is now often described as a ‘trend’ or a ‘challenge,’” she noted.
Because social platforms reward content that provokes a reaction, videos that embarrass others spread quickly – reinforcing the idea that public shaming is harmless entertainment.
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Why Parents Need to Talk to Kids Now
Grima stressed the importance of proactive conversations at home.
“Consent matters online just as much as it does in real life,” she said.
Kids need to understand that secretly filming someone (especially for viral content) can cause real emotional harm.
She added that children should feel empowered to decline participation.
“If someone tries to hand them a phone or drag them into a video, they can say no.”
How Viewers Can Help Shut the Trend Down
For those who encounter these videos while scrolling, Grima offered a simple but powerful piece of advice: do not engage.
“The algorithm rewards attention,” she said.
“Don’t like it, don’t comment, don’t share it.”
Reporting the content is also essential.
TikTok’s policies explicitly prohibit bullying and harassment, and most videos associated with this trend fall squarely under those violations.
As the debate continues, parents, creators, and safety advocates are urging TikTok users to rethink what they choose to amplify – and the real people impacted behind every so-called “joke.”