Kids, teens and even adults are attracted to so-called “challenges” on TikTok, the popular social media site, that encourages them to do all kinds of silly things, sometimes dangerous, sometimes illegal, and often deadly, as has been seen with teens strangling themselves.
Police in Buffalo, New York believe that a car crash that killed four teens and injured two on October 24 was due to what is being called a “Kia Challenge.”
The deceased were Marcus Webster, 19, Swazine Swindle, 17, Kevin Payne, 16, and Ahjanae Harper, 14.
The driver of the vehicle, 16-years-old, was treated at the hospital and released, and another passenger, a 14-year-old girl, was listed in stable condition at a local hospital.
The teens stole the vehicle on Sunday night, and the driver was charged with theft. He will face the judge in court in November.
The Kia challenge is believed to have started in July of this year, and featured TikTok videos that showed car thieves stealing Kia (and Hyundai) vehicles. They also gave instructions about how to use a USB cord to start a car ignition.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia spoke at a press conference on Monday, and referred to these videos as the possible culprit in the Buffalo accident.
Information about the so-called “challenge” was published online by many media outlets, including Newsweek and the New York Post online. A search for Kia Challenge, or associated hashtags, reveals thousands of people who claim to have been victims of the challenge, or who are talking about it and posting videos. However, according to insider.com, there is no evidence that there is at present a real Kia challenge that gives instructions for starting a car ignition, or encourages anyone to steal a vehicle.
However, the original video that showed how to hot-wire a car was removed from TikTok.
The police department in Buffalo, believe that TikTok encouraged the accident and is responsible for the death of the teenagers.
The hashtags #KiaBoys and #KiaBoyz both have over 25 million views, indicating that the topic is very popular.
Some videos show people stealing cars.
Police departments across the country most probably have been alerted to the existence of a car-theft challenge on social media, and are on the lookout.
At the end of August, the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted that Kia and Hyundai thefts had increased significantly over the past year, and referred to the TikTok “challenge” as an alarming influence on teenagers.
