TikTok ‘door kick challenge’ prompts Kansas police warning about teen trend

Kansas officials are warning parents and landlords alike about a “dangerous new TikTok trend” in which teens across the country are risking their lives for social media fame.

According to the Merriam Police Department, residents reported that, as part of a “door kick challenge,” many teenagers ran in front of their homes and kicked down doors to make it look like someone was breaking in.

“We have received multiple reports about a reckless TikTok challenge called the ‘Door Kick Challenge’,” the department said. a Facebook post. “This trend encourages banging and kicking on doors to mimic a home invasion.”

Since last weekend, four people at the local Georgetown apartment complex reported to FOX 4 that teenagers had joined the fray. reported.

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“They’re videotaping themselves trying to go and kick in the doors of homes, probably as a prank or to scare the homeowners,” said Sgt. Kristin Jasinski said, according to the outlet.

In the doorbell camera video released by the ministry, a pair of young people can be seen approaching the front of a house, one person kicking the door, the other standing with his cell phone outside, possibly filming the incident.

“I know it might look funny,” Jasinski said, according to FOX 4. “But people take these things seriously if they’re not aware of them or aren’t sure what your intentions are. We’d hate for it to have real-life consequences.”

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In the video, the person runs to the front door of the house and kicks it in, simulating a home invasion, before both teens run away. (Merriam Police Department/Facebook)

The trend concerns law enforcement officials, who say teens could face criminal charges such as vandalism and trespassing, or homeowners could use force in self-defense.

In addition to the video, the police department also shared footage of a separate incident in which a group of suspicious teenagers broke down a resident’s front door.

“There are dangers on both sides of the door. Frankly, we want to keep both the homeowners and the people who participate in these pranks safe,” Jasinski said. he said.

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In a separate incident, a group of teenagers allegedly broke the frame of a homeowner’s front door while participating in a viral “door kick challenge,” according to the Merriam Police Department. (Merriam Police Department/Facebook)

“Our biggest concern is that someone will get hurt while we think this is an actual home invasion.”

Bradley Cooper, a Shawnee resident of Westbrooke Glen Apartment Homes, told FOX 4 that a pair of teenagers also knocked on his friend’s door at the complex.

“He said the other day: ‘I literally had my headphones on but I saw the door and I could hear it through the song I was playing, just a straight motion, just boom,'” Cooper said.

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The friend reportedly chased the teens and eventually caught up with someone who apologized.

“If someone had a gun, they could have shot through the door,” Cooper said. “Wait, it’s no fun, you’ll probably get yourself killed.”

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However, authorities are urging homeowners to call the police if they think they have been the victim of the so-called “prank”.

“Don’t follow these people,” Jasinski said. “Until we interact with them and figure out what’s going on or what’s actually going on, we have no way of knowing in real time. We don’t want to put you or the people involved at further risk by engaging in some kind of pursuit. So stay home, call the police, let us do our job.”

The Merriam Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.