"Deadly Trends" Could Claim Children's Lives

Deadly trends on social media are posing potential dangers to children - and perhaps homeowners - this summer in the United States, amidst school holidays.

Two of these trends specifically are widely spreading on social media, namely the "UrbanEx Challenge" and the "Door Kicking Challenge".

Titania Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Parenting Officer at the parental control app "Bark Technologies", told Fox News Digital: "There's a new trend every day... You go to your 'For You' page, and you see what's trending. And before you know it, you're seeing content that's being created by kids, and that in itself is problematic. A lot of kids under the age of 13... legally aren't even allowed to be on social media".

She explained that social media challenges push users to create more "engaging content", which is "viral in nature and keeps resurfacing thanks to algorithms".

She added: "This type of content will get likes, comments, and shares. And it will encourage kids to mimic it because it gives them fame... Any challenge like this, kids aren't thinking, 'Is this the right thing to do? Is it safe?' They're thinking, 'I want the validation', and kids will end up dead. I mean, one person with a gun kicking their door by a child, and we'll have a new tragic headline on a national level".

Law enforcement agencies across the country are warning against both trends, the first one encouraging users to explore abandoned buildings, and the second one urging them to kick strangers' doors.

Although the Door Kicking Challenge has been around for years, several agencies have issued new warnings, indicating a potential increase in prevalence during this summer.

Recently, the police department in Ohio warned about this challenge, stating that they are investigating four incidents that occurred in the town of Bayville.

The Bayville police said in a Facebook post: "Reports have started coming in of doors being kicked in during the late-night hours. Police have gathered evidence from neighborhoods indicating that a trend on social media known as 'Door Kicking Challenge' is behind these actions. The suspects are not entering the homes, but rather kicking front doors and then fleeing the scene".

The Bayville police noted that authorities are collecting physical evidence from the locations of these crimes, including video footage.

Bayville Police Chief Dalton Dolan told Fox News Digital that Door Kicking Challenges take the game of 'Ding Dong Ditch' to a new level, especially in states that allow self-defense like Ohio.

Dolan continued: "If a person feels that their life or the life of a family member is threatened, they can use deadly force immediately... For example, if a door is broken in the middle of the night, and the homeowner believes the intruder may harm them, they will shoot if they have a nearby weapon. And in Southeast Ohio... we've seen this happen before".

Dolan also mentioned that just the act of a person's foot entering another person's home through kicking the door can be considered a burglary charge, in addition to a trespassing charge.

He pointed out that homeowners defending themselves with a weapon may face lengthy and complex legal proceedings.

He elaborated: "Our job will be: If a homeowner fires a shot at someone who broke into their home, we will investigate the matter. Of course, we will seize the weapon used as evidence, and we will take testimonies, reports, medical examinations, photos, and measurements... then we will refer the file to the prosecutor's office in Guernsey County, which can consider it justifiable homicide or refer it to a grand jury".

In Pennsylvania, the Fleetwood police warned on June 8 that the 'Door Kicking or Knocking Challenge' on TikTok encourages children and teenagers to film themselves knocking or kicking random doors, often late at night.

The police wrote: "While 'Ding Dong Ditch' has been a sign of childhood mischief for decades, today's youth have taken it to a more dangerous level through door kicking and causing damage. In addition to the financial costs borne by homeowners to repair the damage, there is a possibility that the child may be seriously injured or killed by someone who believes, especially in the middle of the night, that their home is being burglarized, and decides to defend it as there is an imminent threat to life and property".

The Flour Mound police and the Oak Harbor police in Washington also noted the trend spreading on TikTok.

The Fort Worth police in Texas recently issued a similar warning. They said: "This trend has been reported nationwide, including here in Texas. It is essential for those participating in this trend to realize that even if no theft or crime occurs, this behavior is illegal and considered vandalism, and may lead to criminal charges. More importantly, it may be construed as an attempted break-in, which could result in defensive or serious reactions from homeowners".

The police urged parents to "discuss the risks and consequences of such trends with their children", adding that "what may seem like a joke can lead to real problems or risks".

At the same time, another trend known as "UrbanEx" has recently made headlines, leading to the imprisonment of social media users who participated in it. This 'challenge' encourages users to explore abandoned buildings, from schools and churches to commercial and entertainment centers.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office - Precinct 1 in Texas recently announced the arrest of three 18-year-old men on charges of trespassing at the Astrodome stadium in Houston, closed since 2009.

The police said that security personnel at the site saw the men enter the stadium around midnight, and later they were seen running in the parking lot and climbing a fence. The men face charges of trespassing on another's property.

Alan Rosen, Precinct 1 Constable, said in a statement on June 10: "Sneaking into closed historic buildings is dangerous. You are risking your own lives and the lives of rescue teams, and this is illegal".

A video posted on June 8 showing the inside of the Astrodome stadium, by the 'Urbex.tx' account on TikTok, has garnered nearly 845,000 views.

Last year, a 23-year-old man named Guillermo LeFlour, known on TikTok as 'Urbex Tarzan', was arrested after being accused of trespassing on private property while exploring steam tunnels. This was not his first attempt to perform a dangerous stunt for fame on social media, as he was previously charged with attempting to climb the Milwaukee Art Museum, as reported by FOX 6 Milwaukee.

Ari Lightman, a professor of digital media and marketing at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, explained to Fox News Digital that social media trends resemble old 'Truth or Dare' games, but in a multiplied and amplified version.

He continued: "You're now reaching tens of thousands of people. You're not challenging someone face to face", adding: "Why are they doing this? Just to get likes? And those likes can turn into followers, and followers may bring advertisers, and advertisers may pay profits to some? Is this even real or is it AI-generated?"

Some supporters of the 'UrbanEx' trend argue that it sheds light on abandoned historic buildings that have been neglected and left to decay, while many social media users call on local city leaders to revive abandoned schools, homes, churches, and event venues.

Jordan stated: "Just the lack of general respect among children today - whether for others' properties in classrooms or for people's feelings - is a big problem. They lack empathy and respect because they spend a long time in front of screens and don't understand real human emotions".

Parents have been advised to join a Facebook group called 'Parenting in a Tech World', where "the latest trends are exchanged by parents whose children are experiencing these experiments in real time". Parents are also advised to talk openly and calmly with their children about what they see online, and to Google prevalent trends.

She concluded: "Maybe your child is playing 'Roblox' and you think it's unsafe. Google the risks of 'Roblox'. Show your child how other children have been harmed by adults lured through that platform, so they realize that you're not just being overly protective".

She ended by saying: "All you can do is have honest and calm conversations with them, not talk to them or talk at them, but ask them about what they've seen. What do they think? What are the risks of wandering in an abandoned building and filming it? They may say they don't know, and that in itself can open the door to discussion".