Experts are warning against a dangerous viral TikTok trend, cautioning it could result in lifelong pain or permanent disability.
One of the latest viral TikTok challenges, circulating in February 2025, has users dropping household items on their feet to test their pain tolerance and rate the experience out of 10.
Thousands of videos show participants dropping increasingly heavy objects, such as air fryers, vacuum cleaners, glass jugs, dumbbells, and even wooden tables, onto their feet. These clips often rack up millions of views.
One TikToker, Luke Pilling, has amassed a following through his extreme pain-related content. In one video, Pilling is seen hopping around his room in agony after dropping a candle holder, pan, dartboard, air fryer, and computer monitor onto his feet.
To grow his audience, he has continued pushing the limits, even posting a video with four million views where he smashes objects against his shins and shares an image of the resulting bruises.
“Troubling” TikTok trend will lead to injuries
Medical professionals are sounding the alarm over the potential consequences of this trend. Dr. Benjamin Bullen, a lecturer in podiatric medicine at the University of Galway, expressed serious concern about the risks.
“I find the viral #droppingthingsonmyfeet TikTok trend troubling and strongly encourage readers not to engage in this risky challenge,” he told PA. “This trend, encouraging participants to drop sharp and increasingly heavy household objects on their feet, is highly likely to result in foot injuries.
“TikTok is particularly popular among young people, who may be setting themselves up for a lifetime of pain and disability, if they significantly damage the nerves, bones, and joints of their feet.”
Although TikTok has not added warnings to most of these videos, the platform deploys safety teams to detect hashtags associated with harmful trends and remove content that promotes dangerous behavior in violation of its community guidelines.
This is just the latest trend that experts have flagged red after an advocate for food safety warned against a viral tiramisu TikTok challenge.