Is The British 'Tea Time Alarm' Real? The Viral TikTok Videos Explained

British people are confusing everyone else on TikTok right now as they make a bizarre claim that many can't believe is true. In their numerous viral videos on the topic, residents of the United Kingdom are claiming that the country has tea time alarms, daily sirens that go off when it's tea time, which means all residents must stop and have tea or face legal consequences. But is the tea time alarm real? Here's what you need to know.

@ajslambino Is the tea time alarm real in the UK? #teatimealarm #tea #teatime #uk #american #british #fyp #unitedkingdom #ajslambino #gooniedad #drink #drinktok #foodie #foodblogger #yorkshire #yorkshiretea #funny ♬ original sound – AJ

What Is The British Tea Time Alarm and Is It Real?

Back in 2021, TikToker @tcimz told a story about a discussion she had with a British friend. The British friend insisted that in the UK, they had a designated tea time and "tea time alarms," described to her as a siren that goes off daily to tell residents that they must drop everything and have tea. The TikToker claims she asked multiple other British people about it and they all confirmed the existence of tea time alarms except for one, letting her know that she'd been elaborately trolled.

While tea time alarms don't really exist in the UK, the trolling attempt spread even further in 2023, when TikToker Jack Knightley posted a video claiming with a straight face that there are tea time alarms in the UK. Further, he claimed that it was illegal not to stop and have tea at the sound of the siren by punishment of fines or jail. From there, TikTokers only became more confused as to whether or not the alarms actually exist.

@tcimz Reply to @elizubif I have so many ridiculous stories here’s one about the British American conflict #bostonteaparty #tiktokengland #usa #gullible ♬ original sound – T

@jackknightley This is the most unusual difference #fyp #british #britishculture #cultureshock ♬ original sound – SirJackKnightley

How Is The British Tea Time Alarm Used In Memes?

Ever since Knightley's video went viral, TikTokers, in particular English TikTokers, have been further gaslighting others into believing that tea time alarms are a thing. The idea behind these videos is to claim as genuinely as possible that they exist. Some TikTokers even go so far as to add siren sounds to their videos, claiming to showcase the alarms going off.

In many of the videos, TikTokers show poles set up around the country that they claim are tea time alarms. In reality, these are 5G signal antennas, not tea time alarms.

@wynterlurion First time I caught the tea time alarm going off on video🫣 #teatimealarm #uktraditions #uklife ♬ original sound – kidsworldfun1

@jackknightley Ive said this before #teatimealarm #british ♬ original sound – SirJackKnightley

@dawnnfarmer Replying to @Justice Stoffer ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger

@imjoshfromengland2

Wait for it… 👀 Heres something we do in the U.K. 🇬🇧☕️

♬ original sound – imjoshfromengland2

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For the full history of tea time alarms, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.