This is “door-kicking,” the new and dangerous social media trend that authorities say could end in tragedy
This potentially dangerous social media challenge has gone viral.
During this summer break, plenty of online challenges are rapidly gaining traction among teens, bringing into view large-scale safety and legal concerns.
One of these challenges is known as ‘Door Kicking’, and it’s potentially life-threatening.
Teens have been filmed kicking strangers’ doors late at night, escalating “ding‑dong ditch” into potentially violent situations, causing local police in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington state to issue warnings.
Chiefs caution that such provocations could spur deadly self-defence responses, especially in states with “stand‑your‑ground” laws, since any forced entry—even a kick—is treated as burglary. Homeowners legally armed might reasonably fear intruders and react with lethal force, making these pranks far more dangerous than just vandalism.
Kids nowadays can’t even enjoy knock down ginger anymore because everyone has a ring door bell 🕊️
— jcruz. (@DecruzJemma) June 30, 2025
‘You can take deadly force... they’re going to shoot at them’
Byesville PD Chief Daulton Dolan told Fox News Digital of the potential dangers in some states: “If you feel that your life or a life of your family members are threatened, you can take deadly force against somebody right there on the spot. … So, for instance, if someone kicks open [a] door in the middle of the night, and the homeowner believes that they’re coming in can physically harm them, they’re going to shoot at them if they have a gun nearby... we’ve seen that before.”
Titania Jordan, CMO and chief parent officer at Bark Technologies, a parental control app, told Fox News Digital that “there’s a new trend every day. … You go to the FYP, the For You Page, you see what’s trending. And then pretty soon, you’ll see content created by children, which is in and of itself problematic. A lot of the children under the age of 13 … are legally not allowed to even be on social media.
“This sort of content is going to get likes, it’s going to get comments, it is going to get shares. It’s going to encourage children to try to emulate it because it’s clout — they gain clout from their peers because of this,” she said. “…Any challenge like this, children aren’t thinking, ‘Is this the right thing to do? Is this safe?’ They’re thinking, ‘I want validation,’ and children are going to get killed. I mean, just one person who is armed who gets their door kicked in by a kid, and you’re gonna have another national headline that is very sad.”
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