Recently, a wave of silly and even dangerous TikTok trends has been popping up, causing unnecessary trouble for those involved and people around them. These include filming videos at airports despite rules, posing on luggage carousels like its a trophy, or trying to shop with just 5,000 VND to see vendors reactions.
Gen Z, who spend the most time on this platform, have responded strongly. Most have condemned these trends, with some vowing to block such content outright, while others choose to ignore it so low-quality videos fade away on their own.
Besides Gen Z, we also reached out to several popular TikTokers known for positive, quality content to hear their thoughts on these “bad apples” spoiling the bunch.
“Tay Balo” Rufino Aybar: Chasing dirty views only hurts yourself
Rufino Aybar (born 1998), who runs a TikTok channel with 2.9 million followers, says these trends dont directly affect him but watching them is annoying. He disagrees with reckless view-chasing, whether for clicks or humor:
“Honestly, these videos dont impact my life directly, but they do bother me when I see them.
I never agree with chasing views at any cost. Those views arent clean, they dont help me, and can even damage my reputation with viewers. And if people do these things just for laughs, they should rethink their sense of humor. Fun should be in the right place and not damage public property or disturb others.
There have always been all kinds of people, but I hope those following these trends realize their mistakes and learn from them. No one is perfect, as long as were breathing, theres always a chance to fix things, everyone!”.
“Neighbor” Pham Vinh: Be selective when following trends
Agreeing with Rufino Aybar is “Neighbor” Pham Vinh (born 1999), a TikToker with 2.8 million followers, who also hopes people will be more selective about which trends to follow.
“When keeping up with trends, you should know which ones are worth following and which arent. For example, airport videos are very dangerous. Personally, these trends dont affect me much. I believe once the community strongly condemns them, they will eventually disappear. But its worrying if someone unaware still copies them.
Many things seem harmless but are actually wrong and risky for themselves and others. What worries me most is that many TikTok users are kids, and its scary if they imitate these actions.”
Com Tuoi Tho Channel: Viewers are smart and will call out bad behavior
Chan Nam (born 1998), who runs the Com Tuoi Tho channel with nearly 905k followers, thinks these trends are mainly for views. But viewers today are smart and can filter content, so harmful videos wont last long:
“I think those doing this are mainly desperate for views, though its unclear if they do it on purpose or just dont know the rules at places like airports. These actions not only endanger themselves but also affect others.
As for viewers, theyre smart now, able to judge content. Harmful content gets criticized immediately, while genuine and healthy content still has its place and is appreciated.”
Chan Nam shares the same concern as Pham Vinh about young users copying harmful trends: “As a TikToker, I think content creators should build a positive and healthy image to secure their spot with viewers without needing to chase likes. Many viewers are kids who dont fully understand, so watching harmful videos might lead them to imitate and cause unfortunate consequences.”
Tran Duy – Ngh Nhn Duy Channel: Easy content is easy to lose
Tran Duy (born 1997), who runs Ngh Nhn Duy with 312k followers, says he feels embarrassed for those filming these clips. “At first, maybe they didnt realize the negative impact. But once these videos get popular and criticized, continuing to do them means theyre doing it on purpose. Its their choice, but I think its ridiculous, especially the luggage carousel one. I feel embarrassed for them, but maybe they dont see it that way,” Duy shared.
On the impact of pointless trends, Duy adds that silly trends can make viewers lump all TikTokers together negatively. He says:
“I dont think harmful content affects creators making clean content. If clean content doesnt get views, its because its not attractive enough, not because silly trends dominate. But if harmful content trends too much, viewers might think TikTok is full of trash or that TikTokers are just people doing stupid, pointless stuff.”
“Harmful content is easy to make and easy to trend, while healthy content takes more brainpower, investment, and time. It might trend slower but builds a stronger community. Easy content comes and goes quickly. So people should think twice before jumping on any TikTok trend. Its sad if people only remember you for a silly, pointless clip,” Duy added.
How to Avoid Silly Trends on TikTok
Earlier, in an April 2022 post about harmful TikTok content, Duy Muoi, founder of the DCGR group and a TikTok idol known as a “boss” in the TikTok scene, shared his views on this issue.
Duy Muoi
On how to limit such content, Duy Muoi said: “The video recommendation system on all platforms is very smart, and TikTok is no exception. If you skip many videos on a topic, TikTok will limit or stop showing them to you.
However, for kids who cant yet recognize offensive or harmful content, it requires more care. Harmful content often hides in hashtags and music links and doesnt trend officially, so parents should set usage time limits and supervise their kids.”
