A Bay Area police department is warning residents about a Kesha-tracked TikTok challenge, rather than a Kesha-tracked "TiK ToK" challenge.
The "TiK ToK" singer's 2012 single, "Die Young," provides the soundtrack to a trend on TikTok, the popular social media app, in which users knock on – or, in some cases, kick – a person's door to the song's beat before fleeing. In a post on Nextdoor, the Petaluma Police Department wrote on Tuesday the trend’s "segway into our community has caused some realistic safety concerns," particularly if users in the city start kicking doors to participate in the digital ding-dong-ditch.
"We are advising all parents to caution their children on the dangers and legal consequences of this activity," the department wrote.
The trend originated in October, with TikTok users posting videos from college dorms. Many of the most-viewed videos appear set on campuses, yet Petaluma police wrote on Tuesday the challenge "most notably occurs at night" after police in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Nebraska, Canada and England, among other locations, have claimed the trend has spread to neighborhoods or made arrests outright citing it.
Jennifer Pritchard, Community Engagement Liaison with the Petaluma Police Department, told KTVU on Wednesday the department fielded two 911 calls related to the challenge during the Thanksgiving holiday. It's not clear how widespread the trend is beyond those calls, but Pritchard told the outlet that angry homeowners have complained about property damage.
"You can see why this activity could be scary to a homeowner who could think it's a real home invasion," Pritchard told the outlet, claiming one door was kicked in with enough force to cause "hundreds of dollars" in damage. "Parents can help their children understand they should not participate and we also want the community to know they shouldn't react with a violent response."
