What is TikTok’s ‘abandoned item challenge’ trend?

There is a new TikTok trend making the rounds called the “abandoned item challenge,” and yes, it sounds exactly like the kind of thing that makes parents sigh deeply into their coffee.

The trend reportedly involves people finding, filming or interacting with random items left in public places. Depending on the video, that could mean anything from abandoned bags to mystery boxes or strange objects sitting outside.

Safety experts have long warned that unattended items in public places should be treated with caution. You do not know who left it there, what is inside or whether it is actually abandoned. If something looks suspicious, the safest move is to leave it alone and report it to the property owner, event staff or local authorities. This is especially important in busy places like malls, schools, airports, parks and concert venues.

Parents may want to talk to kids and teens about the trend before curiosity takes over. Because TikTok fame is not worth a trip to urgent care, a visit from security or becoming the reason everyone has to evacuate the food court.

Basically, if you see a random item sitting somewhere and your first thought is, “This would make a great video,” maybe let your second thought be, “My mom would be furious.”