Another week, another questionable TikTok trend. The latest internet sensation has social media users asking someone to film them dancing. Instead, the dancer clicks the flip-camera button mid-dance — filming the filmer instead of themselves. And while the trend is meant to be funny (and, of course, get clicks), not everyone is laughing.
The prank, called the flip-camera trend, has resulted in hundreds of videos showing awkward, close-up faces of people who believe they are filming friends (or even strangers) circulating on the platform. However, some of the videos are awkward to view, and are resulting in some major embarrassment. That’s especially true when the videos get major traffic.
While some of the videos appear to be all in good fun, some of them seem downright hurtful. Some videos show well-meaning strangers simply trying to help out, only to have their faces posted to the internet to be mocked by hundreds, thousands, or more. Some users have posted ultra-emotional responses — showcasing the true embarrassment that may come with having your face shared across the internet without consent.
Recently, TikTok user its.jusninii shared a video showing her in tears over the prank. “Me after seeing the flip camera trend and realizing how cruel you little kids are,” she wrote. The video clearly struck a chord, as it has over 2 million likes at present. But the user is not the only one who is airing their feelings about the prank. Hundreds of response videos have been trending where users, instead of making their own flip-camera videos, are calling out the users who are taking part.
Many of the videos have the same message: they say the prank isn’t all in good fun. It’s actually bullying.
In one recent video, TikTok user Nathalie Reynolds acts like she’s about to flip the camera on her filmer. Instead, she takes the opportunity to bash the prank, yelling into her phone “You thought I was about to flip the camera? This is not a trend. This is bullying!”
And on Instagram, user @coquettesvanilla wrote that the entire trend is built around embarrassing people, and from that lens, it’s not okay. “We shouldn’t be building a whole trend around tearing someone down,” the user wrote. “Bullying isn’t always loud or obvious, sometimes it hides behind ‘it’s just for fun.’ But if someone gets hurt, then it wasn’t fun to begin with.”
Bullying can take many forms, and these days, internet bullying is a huge concern, as kids spend more and more time online. But, according to StopBullying.com, it’s also worrisome because, in some cases, like if videos aren’t removed when someone asks, it can be permanent. “Most information communicated electronically is permanent and public, if not reported and removed,” the website explains.
While many who’ve been pranked might not mind having their faces make the rounds on the internet, it seems clear that many feel downright violated. And when it comes to the question of bullying, the TikTok victims say it fits the bill.