July's Worst TikTok Trends And Challenges You Should Be Aware Of (But Never Try)

TikTok challenges have yet again lowered the bar of entertainment to a point where our standards aren’t even visible anymore. This month, there’s more drama about parents suing TikTok after their children passed in challenges, and even more dumb ideas being shared in videos all the time. And now, we’re going to go over some of the wildest, most idiotic and most dangerous TikTok trends you should be aware of (but obviously should never do).

The Kia Challenge

This one was not meant to be anything bad when it was created, but a TikTok creator inadvertently started a widely feared “Kia Challenge” when he made a video about a way to start his Kia with a USB port, even though said challenge isn’t really a thing. For once, the "Kia Challenge" is more of a media frenzy than anything, and there aren’t really many videos about attempting this, even though some people are definitely doing it for their own amusement. But whether or not it’s a big trend, this “hack” is awful, because now people know how to hotwire cars easily, thanks to a popular tutorial. And it’s already led to a number of thefts, so it’s easy to say that this is a somewhat dangerous trend from this month, but overall, the number of people actively trying this hack on Kias is low, and it hasn’t actually established itself as a real challenge, contrary to popular belief.

@dh_dingers #lockitandstillloseit😎 #kiachallenge ♬ original sound – DH

The Penny Challenge

This one deserves to be talked about again, even though it was bigger news back in late 2021, when some kids started a fire at a school in Massachusetts doing this, and an Alexa speaker recommended a girl do this when she asked for a physical exercise challenge, both of which made headlines. The thing is, it’s still going around today, for some reason. The Penny Challenge is essentially the more modern equivalent of sticking a fork into an electrical socket, because it involves plugging in a cord and then touching the exposed prongs with a penny. I’m not really sure what the goal of the challenge is, since you either die or you don’t, and you either burn down your house or you wind up with horrible burns on your hands. For some reason, physically injuring yourself and those around you is just a challenge nowadays. Yeah, don’t do this one.

Mouth Taping

This one’s been around since the start of this year, and it’s gaining a lot of traction lately, because people are trying to represent it as a lifehack and a tip for healthier sleep. But unsurprisingly, it’s not. The mouth taping challenge involves taping your mouth shut overnight, which some very unscientific people claim allows for deeper sleep, prevents snoring and protects your oral health. Why? Who knows. Does it work? Definitely not. Instead, you’re blocking your airways and risk suffocating in your sleep. Honestly, most health tips you find on TikTok aren’t going to work, so please don’t waste your time on them, especially this one.

@op_e___n Mouth taping 101 with @allymazyoga #mouthtape #mouthtapingforsleep #mouthtaping #breathwork ♬ original sound – Open

Pink Sauce

While not necessarily a challenge (I mean, I’m sure people are challenging each other to try it, but we’re focusing on the whole trend), Pink Sauce is the new product that’s taking TikTok by storm, and not necessarily for a good reason. It appears to be pretty unsafe, with numerous health concerns being reported as the Pink Sauce, which is apparently still being lab tested to be approved as edible, is being shipped out. There seems to be a lot of things wrong with the nutritional label, and it also contains milk and no preservatives, which means they probably spoiled in the mail on the way there. The color differences between batches seem to indicate that something isn’t right about them too. And despite the whole controversy surrounding this sauce, some people are still eating it. Please, don't be one of them.

@king.asante It looks so gross #pinksauce #asantemadrigal #thepinksauce #food ♬ Violin – Grooving Gecko