A new trend is sweeping TikTok with dangerous consequences.
The ‘Kia challenge’ is seeing users on the social media platform try to start a Kia car without a key, which has led to reports of some people getting their cars stolen or vandalised.
The TikTok challenge began several weeks ago when TikTok user @robbierayyy made a video showing how to start a Kia by using a USB cable. That how-to video quickly evolved into other users seeing if the trick worked for themselves, with some users attempting the challenge on strangers’ cars.
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Not long after, Indiana resident Alissa Smart said that she had her Kia broken into because of someone allegedly carrying out the challenge.
“The keys were in one of my parents’ vehicles on the property. If they wanted to steal a car, it would’ve been much easier to take that truck. Instead they busted out my window and tried to hot-wire my Kia Soul before my niece walked outside, and they took off running on foot,” she told Fox 59.
Speaking about the dangerous social media challenge, she added: "This trend absolutely makes me feel disgusted. It’s really beyond me that people think it’s okay to post criminal acts, let alone participate in them after seeing them online.”
Since the Kia challenge went viral, many users have shared their thoughts about the trend.
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One user wrote on Twitter: "i’m admittedly a kia soul hater, but the 'kia challenge' is getting out of control... having your car broken into is a real shitty feeling anyways... then you factor in inflation, living paycheck to paycheck, etc... have a little empathy and don’t do something stupid bc you can."
Another added: "Every TikTok challenge on the American side is always very extreme and bad. Blackout challenge and many more. Recently saw Kia challenge. That’s ridiculous."
TikTok is encouraging anyone who comes across any ‘Kia Challenge’ videos to report them so they can be removed.
You can report a video on the social media app by clicking the white arrow on the side of the video and tapping the flag symbol, which is an icon that says ‘report’.
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When prompted to describe the reason for reporting, select ‘illegal activities’ and ‘submit’.
If you want to report a user, you can go to their profile, tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner and then, ‘report’.
Topics: Cars, TikTok, Social Media, Technology
Rachel Finn