The police in Friendswood, Texas, are warning the community about a new viral TikTok trend in which teenagers kick and bang on doors in the middle of the night.
According to the KHOU News, the purpose of the challenge is to scare residents, and the Friendswood Police Department is warning kids not to participate in the dangerous TikTok trend.
The TikTok Door Knock challenge has reportedly been happening for several weeks in the predominantly white town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town is more than 80 percent white. The Friendswood Police Department issued a statement on Facebook to warn residents of the new trend and noted that it is “causing both physical and emotional distress” in the community.
“The Friendswood Police Department is aware of the viral Door Knock challenge which encourages individuals to bang or kick doors in the middle of the night in an effort to startle residents,” says the statement. “This trend is causing both physical and emotional distress for residents of all ages. Over the past few weeks, FPD has received several reports of this type of activity.”
In the video footage that has been received from victims, it appears to be teenage males who are kicking and banging on doors. The department is in the process of identifying all of the individuals involved.”
The statement also asked anyone with video of teenagers performing the trend to contact them via their non-emergency number or the Citizens Online Reporting System. The police also included a video with the post, which captured teenagers ringing the doorbell of a home on Dec. 3 as another teen banged on the door with a 5-gallon water jug.
A search on TikTok for “door knock challenge” brings up multiple accounts with the words “door knock” or “door challenge” on the platform. TikTok also has a #ForYou feature on the platform that allows people to find “a stream of videos curated to your interest,” and some worry that it can be used to target teenagers.
Social media users were shocked by the video shared by the Friendswood Police Department, and several noted that it wasn’t safe to perform the challenge, especially in Texas, the state with the highest number of registered weapons in the country. As of 2021, 1,006,555 Texans were registered gun owners.
“Come on!! This is Texas. People could get hurt doing this stupid stuff,” noted one. “It will be tragic when one of those kids is shot by a homeowner. This type of activity is STUPID! Much different than ringing doorbells in my day.”
The warning comes nearly nine months after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head in April 2023, miles away in Kansas City, Missouri, after he accidentally knocked on the wrong door while seeking to pick up his younger siblings.
Unlike the teens in Texas, Yarl, who was looking for his siblings, did not hit the doorbell and run. He was also Black. The homeowner, a now-85-year-old white man, Andrew Lester, shot the teen through the door. Yarl survived his injuries. Lester has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. ]
Texas homeowner Mike Todd was shown the video by KPRC 2 News reporter Re’Chelle Turner, and he noted that he owned a firearm. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I’m, you know, an average guy. A Texan, heavily armed. I would stop somebody if they did that.” Another neighborhood resident added, “You come to the wrong house in Texas, you could get shot.”
