TikTok is one of the social media platforms that have really gotten us through the challenging past year. It's an endless source of entertainment, provides us with laughs, information, and a community of people who understand, too. It's one of the fastest-growing platforms — no, but really, it's the fastest growing social media platforms ever — and a lot of that is thanks to challenges that go viral, prompting everyone else to try it out.
There are some downsides to the video-sharing app, though. Some challenges are dangerous, and parents need to know about them. But there are plenty of other ones that aren't dangerous. Instead, they're harmless, they're fun, and it's a great way to flex creativity.
For any parent with kids old enough to use TikTok, here are some harmless and fun challenges that have gone viral on the platform: pure fun, creative, and nothing to worry about.
Celebrity Look Alike Challenge
Have a doppelganger? Is that look-a-like someone in Hollywood or otherwise famous? That's what this challenge is all about, and it's harmlessly fun. People participate by asking their friends which famous person looks like, and then they use the green screen effect to confirm or laugh at how wrong the guess was. Others participate by showing people in their lives and who they look like — boyfriends are popular for this challenge.
Thinking About the Time
Typically, people don't like to share the mistakes they make with the world. But this challenge on TikTok encourages people to share those (harmless) embarrassing moments. If someone can't laugh at themselves, then who can they laugh at, right? These are only fun when the person who made a mistake is the one sharing the video — the opposite could read as bullying.
Me Verses
Being able to laugh at ourselves and our differences can be a playful way to participate in a trend on TikTok. The Me Verses challenge has two different ways it's done. The first has the person playing two roles; for example, one TikTok went viral of a guy pretending to fight himself at McDonald's. The other version of this has a person compare himself to his siblings and laugh at how different they are.
Wipe It Down Challenge
This challenge is one of the super creative ones that make TikTok the fantastic platform that it is. In this, the user takes a video of themselves looking in the mirror and cleaning it. As they wipe across the mirror, the reflection changes to something different than what was at the start. We've seen this done with people who look cozy, then all glammed up, and more creative ideas.
Flip the Switch
The Flip the Switch challenge is another good use of creativity, and this one was so popular even celebrities were trying their hands at it. In this challenge, two people are in the video, filming in the mirror. The light is turned off, and then when the switch is flipped back on, the two people in the mirror have switched their looks.
Clone Squad
This year has been challenging because people haven't been able to get together thanks to the health crisis situation. But thanks to the clone squad challenge, people can feel less alone and make fun and entertaining videos, too. This is using a filter, and people have done everything from dance challenges to pretending to be a whole choir.
Intentions Challenge
There are many dance challenges — it's what makes the whole app as fun as it is. The Intentions Challenge is another dance challenge. This one is set to Justin Bieber's song of the same name. Some people got creative, like Jenna Dewan, who did the Intentions Challenge along with the Clone Squad challenge.
Crowd Cheers
There's nothing wrong with a TikTok challenge that encourages people on the social platform to hype themselves up. We can all use a little extra love, and the crowd cheers challenge is perfect for this. This one encourages people to use a sound that mimics a huge group of people cheering and whistling at the top of their lungs.
Fridge Challenge
TikTok is full of things that feel out of the left field, and the fridge challenge is one of them. In this, people record themselves taking something out of the fridge. The camera is placed inside the refrigerator so we can see the person's face. The challenge is to surprise people by pulling the strangest thing out of the fridge. We've seen tampons, a jacket, school textbooks, to name a few.
#KUWTK Challenge
Fans of* Keeping Up with the Kardashians* likely know this challenge, but even teens who don't like the reality show or haven't watched it will have fun with this one. The premise of the challenge is to use clips from the show — the actual conversations — and act them out. The reality family has a lot of gems to choose from.
What a Clown
We've all made poor decisions, and sometimes the best way to move on from them is to laugh and do better next time. This challenge uses a clown filter, and the purpose is to confess to doing something "clownish" or a decision that probably, in hindsight, wasn't the best decision. These range from hilarious and small to bigger ones that leave a message to others.
Tell Me Without Telling Me
This challenge is so big on the platform that we can find a "tell me without telling me" video to almost anything. It's even found its way into image memes. "Tell me you're an only child without telling me an only child," for example, would require someone to show something that only an only child would do. The trend feels a little played out, but it's a harmless one for teens to participate in.
Level Up Challenge
The Level-Up Challenge is set to Ciara's song "Level Up." The challenge has been around for a while, but it's still going strong and hilarious every time. This challenge has TikTok users build a wall using toilet paper and record themselves or their pets jumping over the toilet paper wall. Each time the pet or person successfully made the jump, it's leveled up even higher.
Perfect Match
This challenge has had over 3 billion views on the platform, and it's a love letter challenge to couples, best friends, parents, siblings, or roommates. The purpose is to show why that person is your perfect match, and the videos range from really awkward to hilarious and heartwarming. These are extra cute when the teens do the challenge with a parent.
Fashion Challenge
The fashion challenge is all about having fun and showing off a love for fashion, and this challenge allows for a whole lot of creativity. We've seen videos where best friends try on each other's fashion challenge, others where friends with different body types dress the same, and everything in between and outside the box.
