Who Want Smoke Cellphone Gun Challenge depicting three examples of the tiktok trend.

"Who Want Smoke?" Cellphone Gun Challenge

Part of a series on Internet Challenges. [View Related Entries]

Updated Nov 24, 2021 at 02:09PM EST by Zach.

Added Nov 24, 2021 at 10:20AM EST by Phillip Hamilton.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.

This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!

You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.

About

"Who Want Smoke?" Cellphone Gun Challenge refers to a trend on TikTok set to Nardo Wick's song "Who Want Smoke?" where you raise your cellphone like a gun toward the camera as if about to shoot, often using a slow-motion filter. The trend began in early November 2021 and became popularized later that month. The trend inspired backlash in schools for potentially glorifying guns in a school setting and "posing a threat," particularly after a school principal participated in the trend, allegedly resulting in the suspension of over 50 students at Chicago's Tinley Park High School.

Origin

It is unclear who first started the "Who Want Smoke?" cellphone gun challenge. The song, released by Nardo Wick in February 2021, has been prominent on TikTok with numerous trends, including one where you throw your phone in the air and catch it in slow-motion. In early November 2021, TikTokers began filming slow-motion videos to the song where people point their phones at the camera as if it's a gun. One of the earliest viral examples was uploaded by TikToker[1] @xx.ayionnaaaa on November 2nd, gaining over 1.9 million views in three weeks (shown below).


https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7026062970979454214

Spread

The trend spread across TikTok over the course of the month. On November 13th, 2021, TikToker @pascalandjamesha posted a version of the video from a parking lot, gaining over 1.8 million views in just over two weeks (shown below).


https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7030218007624322309

The trend often takes place in school hallways. On November 15th, TikToker @yellabarbie posted a video showing students doing the trend, gaining over 7.9 million views in just over two weeks (shown below, left). On November 17th, TikToker @deeontiktok3 posted a video following the trend, gaining over 2.5 million views in a week (shown below, right).


https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7030932993749355782
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7031268040092273926

Backlash

On November 21st, 2021, the trend garnered criticism from school administrators after a principal and numerous members of school staff were seen participating in the trend at Tinley Park High School in Chicago.[2] This resulted in allegedly 50 students being suspended. TikToker @skylar_dior2 posted a series of videos responding to the news, showing a video of students doing the trend at Tinley High on November 20th, before the story broke (shown below, left and right). Allegedly the staff members were tricked into participating in the trend and told it was part of a "school pride video." On the same day, TikToker @0fficial.lilchriss, a student at the school, posted a series of videos talking about the suspensions, saying the students were given five-day out-of-school suspensions and were threatened with being sent to another school.[4]


https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7032392558949158191
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7032397230925516079

On November 22nd, Fox 32 Chicago posted their newscast about the story on their YouTube page, gaining over 17,900 views in two days (shown below). It was reported by XXL[3] on November 23rd.



Various Examples


https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7031680802576682286
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7030886476653137158
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7032305796830530822
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7032496254965828910
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7031256791698672902
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7031206844710407430

Search Interest

External References

[1] TikTok – ayionnaaaa

[2] Fox 32 – Nothing funny

[3] XXL – HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TRICK STAFF MEMBERS

[4] TikTok – 0fficial.lilchriss

Recent Videos 3 total

Recent Images

There are no images currently available.


Top Comments

RemChi
RemChi

Literally, everyone does this. Everyone does this even if they don't intend to.

I nearly got suspended for spinning my calculator back between two fingers because when it rested ontop of my hand it looked like I was holding a gun. ISTG.

Schools : "Sets up students to fail, demonizes Victims, drains students of their time and energy, enforces ineffective safety measures that have gotten hundreds of kids killed, offer ineffective counseling for issues, labels kids problem students but does nothing to aid them."

Schools : "IS THAT A GUN?"

+12

+ Add a Comment

Comments (7)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


O HAI! You must login or signup first!