TikTok's 'flip camera trend' is going viral-for all the wrong reasons

"The prank, called the flip-camera trend, has resulted in hundreds of videos showing awkward, close-up faces of people who believe they are filming friends (or even strangers) circulating on the platform. However, some of the videos are awkward to view, and are resulting in some major embarrassment. That's especially true when the videos get major traffic. While some of the videos appear to be all in good fun, some of them seem downright hurtful."

"Some videos show well-meaning strangers simply trying to help out, only to have their faces posted to the internet to be mocked by hundreds, thousands, or more. Some users have posted ultra-emotional responses - showcasing the true embarrassment that may come with having your face shared across the internet without consent. Recently, TikTok user its.jusninii shared a video showing her in tears over the prank. "Me after seeing the flip camera trend and realizing how cruel you little kids are," she wrote. The video clearly struck a chord, as it has over 2 million likes at present."

"Many of the videos have the same message: they say the prank isn't all in good fun. It's actually bullying. In one recent video, TikTok user Nathalie Reynolds acts like she's about to flip the camera on her filmer. Instead, she takes the opportunity to bash the prank, yelling into her phone "You thought I was about to flip the camera? This is not a trend. This is bullyi"

An emerging TikTok prank called the flip-camera trend involves dancers switching to the phone's front camera mid-dance to capture close-up faces of the people filming them. Many videos circulated show awkward, surprised expressions and sometimes cause major embarrassment when they go viral. Some participants intended the clips as jokes, but others result in hurt feelings and accusations of bullying and privacy violation. Affected users have posted emotional responses, with some videos garnering millions of likes. Numerous creators are condemning the trend and posting response videos that call it cruel and label it bullying.

Read at Fast Company