What Is The Story Behind The 'Put The Phone Down' Video? TikTok's Viral 'This Is For My Safety' Memes Explained

A two-year-old viral video is back in the limelight on TikTok, and this time, people are making memes out of it.

The memes feature the voice of a cop yelling, "Put the phone down!" to a man who seems unwilling to do so for the sake of his safety, and the end of the video might come as a surprise to fans of the current trend using the audio.

i think he needs her to put the phone down #classof09 pic.twitter.com/SclyUf5DwX

— Yume 🐊 (@earth2yume) October 16, 2024

Here's the full story of the "put the phone down" video and how it became a viral phenomenon years later.

What Is The 'Put The Phone Down' Video?

In late March 2022, TikToker @momoispimpin, real name Rahman Mohammad Mifta, posted a video of an encounter he had with police.

In the video, he steps out of his car after being pulled over while a police officer yells, "Put the phone down!" The police officer has his taser pointed at Mifta, who continues to film his face with the cop in the background, refusing to lower the phone and repeating the phrase, "This is for my safety."

At the end of the clip, Mifta is tased by the cops, who are unwilling to let him hold his phone. The footage went viral across social media, wracking up millions of views and inspiring a lot of debates and discussions online about whether or not the police should have let him hold his phone, as it arguably did not affect their arrest process. It is still unclear why exactly Mifta was pulled over.

Now, after being reuploaded to TikTok in early October 2024, it's going viral all over again.

How Is 'Put The Phone Down' Used In Memes?

In October 2024, the audio of the "put the phone down" video started going viral on TikTok as the subject of memes. Mostly, these memes look to recreate the video using video games like Roblox and Valorant, placing characters in similar positions as Mifta and the police as the audio plays. Others are using the audio in lip dub videos to poke fun at the situation.

Elsewhere online, the video has become the renewed subject of reactions and discussions. For example, a lawyer recently uploaded a video to YouTube giving his opinion on whether or not Mifta should have put the phone down.

In his opinion, he claims that while everyone has the right to film their encounters with law enforcement, the cops were in the right as a person's hands must be empty when being arrested, according to the law.

For the full history of the Put the Phone Down video, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.