TikTok Trends have never been very intelligent. Worst than that, these can be very dangerous like the very recent Tiktok scar challenge which consists of making scars on your body. These scars, as dermatologists already said, can cause permanent damage on the body.
However, our trend of the day doesn’t concern the human body directly, but is still very dangerous, because it can still kill you. This new trend consists of doing a very illegal thing: stealing a car. Yes, in 2023, this is real, a Tiktok trend makes people steal cars, and they even have a name: The Kia Boys.
A Breach In Kia’s and Hyundai’s Security System
It’s been now several months that owners of Kia and Hyundai vehicles face multiple robberies in the USA because of the Tiktok trend. It is due to a dysfunctional system of security that can make people steal your car very easily, without a key. How is that possible? Well, with a simple USB cable.
I wonder who came up with this Kia challenge pic.twitter.com/NDTOp7FBBZ
— Nyathikazi♋️❤&✌ (@Qwesha_Asive) October 27, 2022
And of course, like every spectacular trend, it became viral quickly and those robbers even got a name: “The Kia Boyz”. But how’s that possible to steal cars that easily? Well, some vehicles of the brands do not have an electronic system that prevents people who do not have a key to start them. That sounds crazy but in reality, the robbers have to disassemble the lock where you put the key, then they need to put a USB cable in it, in order to create a sort of contact to make the car start, so It’s not that easy.
However, it is still very simple for robbers. For example, in Milwaukee, the police say that 469 Kia and 426 Hyundai have been stolen in 2020. The next year, in 2021, 3557 Kia and 3406 Hyundai have been stolen. Now we wonder why Kia and Hyundai waited until now to take a decision concerning this issue.
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An Update On All Kia And Hyundai Models
The group, which has Kia and Hyundai in it, decided to create an update on many vehicles that do not have the proper system to prevent those robberies. The alarm continues for 30 seconds more than usual and in order to start the car, the key has to stay in the lock. Around 3.8 million Hyundai cars and 4.5 million Kia cars will get that system update, said the National Highway Traffic Safety. This update will start on more than 4 million vehicles including Elantra, Sonata, and Venue.
For the rest of the cars, the problem will be settled before June: “We have prioritized the upgrade’s availability for owners and lessees of our highest-selling vehicles and those most targeted by thieves in order for dealers to serve them first,” said Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America. So the cars that were the most stolen will be updated first, but that doesn’t mean it will completely stop robbers because they know which vehicle they can still have a chance to steal, even though it is mostly reduced.
But does it really concern all modern vehicles? No, in reality, these updates are only for vehicles from 2015 to 2020. Because from November 2021, Kia and Hyundai vehicles are all equipped with an immobilization system which prevents much more those robberies. So if you bought a Hyundai or a Kia after November 2021, you don’t even have to check if you need an update or not, you’re protected from this Tiktok trend, and you can still park your car in the street in peace, at least for now.
TikTok Trends Can Be Deadly
Unfortunately, if the Kia Boyz only stole some cars, it would have been terrible, but not that dramatic. In October, a police officer said there was a car accident in Buffalo, New York, and four teenagers died in it because they wanted to make the TikTok trend. In total, six teenagers were in the Kia and were driving at a very high speed. They found out later that the car was declared stolen. The police didn’t need more proof, and they concluded the car was stolen because of the trend.
In total, the Tiktok trend caused at least 14 accidents and 8 deaths, said the NHTSA. All those people showed on Tiktok how they stole a Kia or a Hyundai with a USB cable and other tools. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that situation. Only Tiktok can, by controlling more of these trends that pop on the app every day. The problem is that when one trend disappears because of an accident, tens of thousands of new trends around the world appear, making this app dangerous for many teenagers. Fortunately, this is still a very small percentage and most of the trends are funny and not dangerous for life.
