Metro Atlanta police warn of real-life consequences of following TikTok trends after arrests
A social media trend is turning into charges for a group of teenagers in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Police say a month-long investigation into break-ins at seven Urban Air Adventure Parks since June 4 was inspired by videos posted online.
Eleven people aged 17 to 20 have been arrested and are facing several charges such as burglary, loitering and prowling, criminal trespass, and other offenses.
Four juveniles were also taken into custody.
Body camera footage from the police department shows a 17-year-old suspect telling police he climbed the roof of a park because he saw a TikTok video.
Police say the trend encourages teenagers and young adults to break in after hours, play games, use attractions, and damage property.
VOX ATL, an Atlanta-based youth development nonprofit, has tracked teens' media habits for years through its Georgia Teen Survey.
Their work shows social media is not just entertainment for teens. It's where many of them get information, build identity, and follow what their peers are doing.
"You get rewarded," said VOX ATL Executive Director Sharaun Cash. "I think a lot of times you see teens who are participating in challenges. You see teens who are engaging in certain content in order to get more views because that directly equates to brand deals or recognition from their peers or recognition from other people."
A quick video may show the laughing, the likes, or the dare, but not the consequences, which could be an arrest.
"It's possible that because everyone else is doing it on a trend and seeing ideas kind of being replicated over and over and over again, you start to lose what's real," said Cash. "It's the way that you can kind of create whatever you want on your phone these days. I think sometimes the consequences do get lost on social media."
She also said there is another piece of the puzzle.
Many teens no longer have the "third spaces" where they used to spend time outside of school and home because of restrictions on youth.
"We've seen amusement parks make changes to the amount of teens that are allowed to be there without an adult and the timing in which they're allowed to be there," said Cash, "We've seen movie theaters say that even if you're 17, you can't come to this rated R movie because you're a teenager, so there's a variety of spaces that are no longer accessible."
Gwinnett County police are reminding the public that social media trends encouraging criminal behavior can have serious legal consequences.
Police say offenses such as burglary and criminal trespass may result in arrest and prosecution regardless of whether the intent is for entertainment purposes or a social media trend.
