OMAHA, Neb. — Jay Johnson loves his two dogs. He says to him, they are family.

This past weekend, he came close to losing them after they escaped from the backyard of his Omaha home. The dogs escaped while Johnson was in the shower.

"(I) get out of the shower, notice there's a message on my phone, ‘I got your dog’,” said Johnson.

That's when Johnson came out, he realized his fence was broken which was how the dogs escaped. He said someone ran into and destroyed his fence the night before.

Luckily, Johnson was able to recover his animals, but he also has an $800 expense to replace the fence, and he's not alone.

The so-called "Kool-Aid Man Challenge" on TikTok is leading to a rash of vandalism in Omaha and surrounding areas.

In the challenge, someone runs into and destroys random fences in an effort to mimic the mascot of the popular powdered drink. The damage is not an easy fix, especially these days.

Surveillance video that was recently captured shows a group of several people charging another fence at a different home in Omaha.

The footage went viral on social media which is getting the attention of law enforcement.

“They get into a group mentality where one of them thinks they have a good idea and the others ones go along with it," said Lt. James Wrigley, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.
"Once we meet up with these kids individually they tend to say they're sorry and wouldn't do this by themselves,”

Wrigley said say his department has responded to eight calls of this happening across the county. In the case of the aforementioned video, around $3,500 worth of damage was done to the fence.

Lindsay Anderson, Operations Manager at S&W Fence said this kind of damage is normally tough to fix. Current supply shortages make the job even harder.

“Vinyl pricing more than doubled when the pandemic hit as with everything," said Anderson. "The cost to repair them for some people is more than the price they paid to get their entire fence.”

Johnson said he wants to see the people doing this face real consequences.

“They need to learn a lesson, big time," he said. "It can't just be a slap on the hand.”

The Sarpy County Sheriff's Office said they're still looking for the individuals in the video.

Those responsible for the damage could face criminal mischief charges, and the severity of those charges would depend upon the damage to property.

This story was first reported by Ron Johnson at KMTV in Omaha, Neb.

A mother in Pennsylvania is suing TikTok and its parent company ByteDance after her 10-year-old daughter died.

Tawainna Anderson says her daughter Nylah died after taking part in the so-called “Blackout Challenge,” in which users are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out.

Anderson said in December of 2021, Nylah ended up in the intensive care unit and was hospitalized for several days before she passed away.

The lawsuit states that Nylah attempted the challenge after her “for you page” on the app showed her a video of it.

The “for you page” brings users videos based on an algorithm, which is based on their viewing and engagement habits.

The lawsuit goes on to say that the TikTok algorithm “determined” that the Blackout Challenge would be of interest to the 10-year-old girl.

Anderson goes on to accuse TikTok of preying “upon vulnerable users, such as children.”

The mom is now suing TikTok and ByteDance for wrongful death and negligence for an undisclosed amount in damages.

TikTok told NBC News that the challenge has been around before the app started and “has never been a TikTok trend.”

Related video above: Court TV correspondent on courtroom atmosphere in Depp-Heard trial

A man purporting to be a member of the seven-person jury that deliberated in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial made a series of posts on TikTok last week about what he claimed were his insights from the high-profile trial that captivated the world.

While some social media sleuths were quick to cast doubt on his account — including closely examining the pixelated image of what he claimed was juror paperwork he posted as alleged proof of his service — the man's eight videos posted to TikTok last Thursday and Friday generated much attention. Combined, the posts garnered more than 2 million views and were recirculated on YouTube and Instagram by large-scale content creators reaching exponentially more people before he deactivated the account sometime Friday evening after CNN Business' attempt to seek comment. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

The Daily Mail circulated his remarks as an "exclusive," while also noting in the headline how little it knew about him: "Man claiming to be JUROR in Depp-Heard trial says moment Amber lied about donating divorce settlement sunk her case and that jury believed Johnny was physically abusive — but not the instigator." Daily Mail did not respond to a request for comment. Several other outlets similarly went forward with the story.

But the man behind the account isn't a resident of Virginia where the trial took place ---- and he did not, in fact, serve on the jury. In a text message Sunday, the man admitted it "was just a prank."

It is the latest development in how the defamation trial involving the two celebrities has been seized upon by content creators and influencers on TikTok, which spawned news cycles, revealed insight into the consciousness of users, and shone a light on what content is rewarded on social media.

According to Casey Fiesler, an assistant professor of information science at University of Colorado Boulder and a TikToker, TikTok tends to promote content that is controversial in some ways, or that the platform's algorithm has determined people want to see. Because the man pretending to have been a juror in the case said he believed Depp's story over Heard's, it reinforced beliefs held by Depp's supporters.

"People believe the things that they want to believe, absolutely," said Fiesler.

Posting under an account name "seekinginfinite," the faux juror stated in a TikTok that he wanted to remain anonymous for the time being but would "consider confirming my identity" in the future. His videos, in which he did not show his face, largely echoed common criticisms and observations made by social media creators throughout the course of the trial. He claimed that he grew "extremely uncomfortable" with Heard's eye contact with him so much so that he stopped looking at her while she testified. (Heard's frequent eye contact with the jury was one major topic of discussion during her time on the stand.) He claimed to have been a fan of Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, who became such an internet sensation that one TikToker said she gave herself a tattoo of Vasquez.

"I just think she was really sharp and knew what she was doing and did it with purpose and integrity," said @seekinginfinite in one of the TikTok posts, responding to another user's question about what the jury thought of Vasquez. "All the business stuff aside, she wasn't too bad on the eyes."

Importantly, the TikToker made clear that he didn't believe Heard, validating a viewpoint that many spent weeks expressing on the platform: "Everything she was saying came off like [expletive]," he said in his original post, calling Heard a "crazy woman."

The man is in his late 20s and works as a cinematographer. He appears to have been in Hawaii during deliberations and post-verdict, based on Instagram posts. When asked Friday whether the purported juror badge posted by the TikToker user could plausibly be legitimate, a spokesperson for Fairfax County's Department of Public Affairs said it could not confirm based on the image shared on TikTok. Moreover, the spokesperson said it cannot confirm the identities of jurors who deliberated in the trial because they are under seal for one year. Jurors are, however, free to speak about their experience before then should they choose to do so.

Lending some credibility to his TikTok page was the fact that it wasn't an entirely new account spun up just for the purpose of claiming to be a juror — there were two earlier posts pertaining to travel. But CNN Business was able to trace back to the account's previous name and avatar for the TikTok account which linked to the man elsewhere online.

"I deleted everything"

Asked whether he served on the trial, he initially texted: "I'm sorry that is none of your business," before acknowledging that he was behind the account: "I deleted everything, leave me alone and don't spread my information please. I do not give you permission to use any of my information in any article," he said. "There's more important things to write about, such as mass shootings, climate change, war, etc."

It is unclear what he hoped to accomplish, or why he himself would devote time to posting about the trial given the other pressing societal issues. Asked what inspired him to post at all purporting to be a juror, he said: "I'm sorry but I'm not answering any more questions."

Throughout the trial, the vocal majority on TikTok indicated support for Depp whose case centered around whether Heard had falsely and maliciously accused him of domestic abuse in an opinion piece in The Washington Post in 2018. Heard, for her part, countersued Depp — and after six weeks of hearing their cases, the jury ultimately found that both Depp and Heard had defamed each other, with Depp being awarded $15 million in damages and Heard just $2 million.

TikTok's algorithm works in such a way that it featured a never-ending rabbit hole of pro-Depp content, with many finding virality by posting favorable content to Depp. By nature of its algorithm, on TikTok, Fiesler pointed out, "the odds that someone with very few followers can have something go viral is higher [that on other platforms]."

"My first thought was, 'Why do people think this is real?'" said Fiesler. "At the same time, there were a lot of comments — clearly just people assuming that it was real, and there was certainly nothing to support that. There was no kind of evidence. It seemed to me that this is totally the kind of thing somebody would just do for views, for a joke or whatever."

Fiesler said there's incentive for creators to post content that people engage with — to get more views, followers and an eventual financial payoff if one's platform grows large enough.

For those who primarily consume their news through social media, the danger is in believing that what's shown is the full picture, said Fiesler. "One of the big challenges with misinformation on social media is its very, very hard to correct it," she added.

At 62, Helen Polise isn't considering retirement. Not remotely. Her job? TikTok star.

Polise's account "The Muthership" has nearly 1 million followers. She started the account during the pandemic as a distraction and a way to have fun — but soon it became a second career in the making.

"Some people would ask me, oh, how did you do that transition? How did you figure that out? So, I said, I'll make a tutorial for you. And that was the turning point in social media for me," Polise said.

She's now making money through paid tutorials teaching others how to use TikTok. She hopes to begin phasing out her other job as a TV commercial director so TikTok can become her full-time gig.

Her background commercials helped her understand how to produce for TikTok, Polise said: She transferred what she already knew to a smaller screen.

"I'm really good at technology. Probably a better than a lot of young people," she added. "I want to highlight that it's OK to get older. I feel more authentic. I'm not afraid to be myself,"

Authenticity sells — to the tune of millions of dollars. Brands are taking notice and are working with older influencers or "granfluencers," as they are affectionately known in the industry.

The influencer economy

The creator economy is worth $250 billion today and could double in size to about $480 billion by 2027, according to a report from Goldman Sachs.

"The Retirement House," a TikTok account with 5.1 million followers that features six seniors who are playing characters while creating curated content, ran an ad promoting skincare company CeraVe. Four friends from Palm Springs, known as the "The Old Gays" on TikTok, have 11 million followers and partnered with Hyundai. And Chobani worked with 74-year-old Lynn Davis, whose cooking videos have attracted 15.7 million TikTok followers, for an ad promoting the brand.

Most Americans on social media are between the ages of 18 and 29. But the number of people 65-plus on social media grows each year: In 2014, 21% of those in that age group were on social media, a figure that more than doubled to 45% by 2021, according to Pew Research.

"We think of older people in a certain way, and the more older people that put themselves out there authentically on social media, we can change what aging looks like and it can be more positive," Polise said.

At 78, artist and influencer Debra Rapaport is finding a new audience for her sustainable wearable art. On Instagram she promotes her upcoming shows, workshops, and work she's selling - to her nearly 60,000 Instagram followers.

"I'm not afraid at 78 to put myself out there and say, this is who I am, this is what I do. I've been doing it a very long time. I don't intend to stop," said Rapaport.

She says her over-the-top eclectic style catches the eye of her younger followers, inspiring them to take risks and express themselves.

"I think young people are craving authenticity. And that's what I try to encourage," she said.

It benefits the granfluencers, too. As Americans age, their world often gets smaller. But these older influencers have hundreds of thousands of followers to connect with when they need support.

For example, in June 2022, Polise was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She shared her journey with her followers — from nearly going blind, to chemotherapy sessions, to sharing the joyful news later that year that she had beaten cancer.

An organization that is working to counter hate and disinformation online is raising concerns about the type of videos young people may be seeing on TikTok.

The Centers for Countering Digital Hate set out to test TikTok's algorithm after hearing concerns from parents about what their children are seeing on the platform. The nonprofit organization says it set up eight new accounts in the U.S., U.K, Canada and Australia, and listed the user as 13 years old, the youngest allowed by TikTok.

For the experiment, the accounts briefly watched and liked videos about body image and mental health.

"Within 2.6 minutes, TikTok recommended suicide content. Within 8 minutes, TikTok served content related to eating disorders. Every 39 seconds, TikTok recommended videos about body image and mental health to teens," the organization claims.

The Centers for Countering Digital Hate says some of the videos disclosed information about teens expressing the desire to attempt suicide. Other self-harm videos featured razor blades.

In a statement about the report, a spokesperson said the experiment does not reflect how regular people use the platform.

"This activity and resulting experience does not reflect genuine behavior or viewing experiences of real people," the spokesperson said. "We regularly consult with health experts, remove violations of our policies, and provide access to supportive resources for anyone in need. We're mindful that triggering content is unique to each individual and remain focused on fostering a safe and comfortable space for everyone, including people who choose to share their recovery journeys or educate others on these important topics."

TikTok's Community Guidelines state that it does not allow content "depicting, promoting, normalizing, or glorifying activities that could lead to suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating." It vowed to remove content cited in the report that violated its Community Guidelines.

While TikTok acknowledges it will not catch every piece of content that violates its guidelines, it says it has a team of more than 40,000 safety professionals who are responsible for helping keep the platform safe.

TikTok says from April to June of this year, more than 90% of content that violated policies for suicide and self-harm was removed before there was a single view.

Still, the Centers for Countering Digital Hate believes more should be done to protect teens from dangerous content. It created a guide for parents to help them understand the potential problems on TikTok. It's also pushing policymakers to force social media companies to be more transparent about their algorithms and economic incentives. In addition, the organization believes companies should be held accountable when they fail to enforce policies that are aimed at stopping harm.

TikTok launched what it calls an industry-leading Transparency Center two years ago. The company says it regularly publishes transparency reports to hold itself accountable.

Two Michigan brothers are rising stars on TikTok and Instagram.

They are hoping their nearly 700,000 followers are learning an important lesson along the way.

Max might look like your average guy. But, he has what his brother Jake likes to call a superpower — autism — and it leads to other powers.

“July 24, 1993. What day of the week was that?” Jake asked Max.

“Saturday,” Max answered without hesitation.

“Saturday. And Max, when was Ford Field built? Jake asked again, referring to the NFl stadium their favorite football team plays at.

“2002,” Max shot back.

“So Max has a bunch of different skills because he’s a prodigious savant,” Jake said.

Max only uses his superpower for good, including for TikTok.

“We’re really using this as a platform to spread awareness and really share our love and share our story,” Jake added. “And show families and people all over the world that people with autism really have value.”

Watch the video above for more on this story.

When it comes to products that are currently blowing up in the beauty industry, it’s safe to say that anti-aging skincare is at the top of the list. From the best eye creams for wrinkles to top-selling retinol serums, there’s no shortage of beauty picks that promise to prevent wrinkles and reduce the appearance of fine lines and age spots.

Related video above: Three things you can do to stop blue light aging your skin

Now, there’s an innovative product that’s taking the Internet by storm: anti-wrinkle straws.

That’s right, there are straws designed to prevent wrinkles from forming around your mouth as you sip beverages, and thousands of TikTok users swear by them. In fact, the hashtag for “anti-wrinkle straw” currently has over 350 million views and counting — and one viral TikTok user even claims that it “might be the best invention for anti-aging ever.” But do anti-wrinkle straws actually work?

To find out if this innovative new product truly prevents wrinkles, we tapped dermatologists to weigh in on the anti-aging claims—and whether they’re worth buying.

Can using straws cause wrinkles around your mouth?

Experts say that it indeed can. “Repeatedly pursing the lips, as is the case when drinking from a straw, may contribute to wrinkles,” said Dr. Marisa Garshick, a board-certified dermatologist in New York.

More specifically, the repetitive movement of your mouth muscles flexing in the same spot can lead to creasing in your skin. It’s similar to how expression lines in your face develop. “Every time you purse your lips to grab the straw, the muscles around your mouth are flexing and creating lines,” Dr. Peterson Pierre, a board-certified dermatologist at the Pierre Skin Care Institute, said.

The specific mouth muscle you’re engaging when sipping a straw is called the orbicularis oris, according to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Blair Murphy Rose.

It’s the same muscle that “allows us to purse the lips to whistle, to blow a kiss, etc.,” she said. “Use of this muscle folds the skin which, over time, often begins to leave wrinkles in the skin.”

In fact, the same lip-puckering motion is what leads smokers to develop what’s commonly known as smoker’s lines around their mouth, Garshick noted.

Once lines set in, they like to stay.

“The more you [pucker your lips], the stronger the muscles get and the deeper the lines,” Pierre said. “If done consistently over a long period of time, the lines become etched into the skin, and they can be very challenging to treat.”

How do anti-wrinkle straws work?

Anti-wrinkle straws allegedly work by “preventing the folding of the skin that occurs when using a regular straw,” Murphy said.

In contrast to traditional straws, which have a vertical opening at the top for you to wrap your lips around, these unique straws have a shape that curves horizontally at the top. They have an opening where you can place your mouth to sip without pursing your lips (similar to how you might play a flute). This design supposedly reduces the lip-puckering motion that’s required to sip through a regular straw, thereby helping to prevent wrinkles from forming.

So, can anti-wrinkle straws actually help prevent wrinkles?

The short answer is: Maybe.

“In theory, they should work because you are no longer pursing your lips to hold onto the straw,” Pierre said. “However, these straws won’t do anything to affect genetic and age-related changes.”

It’s also important to note that there currently isn’t any scientifically-backed research that proves anti-wrinkle straws truly make a difference — or even that using straws is a leading cause of wrinkles in the first place.

“While straws may contribute to the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth, we don’t know the full extent of how straw usage leads to lines in terms of how often you need to drink out of a straw in order for it to pose a problem,” Garshick said. “So, swapping out straws may not be entirely necessarily, especially for someone who rarely drinks from a straw.”

That being said, anti-wrinkle straws are not particularly harmful, so there shouldn’t be any issue with using them, according to Garshick. In fact, Pierre says they might be “worth trying,” especially if you frequently use straws.

Where to buy anti-wrinkle straws:

As with any product that claims anti-aging benefits, you shouldn’t expect anti-wrinkle straws to magically prevent or reduce your wrinkles overnight. But if you want to try them out for yourself, there are plenty of options available to buy online, including the popular Lipzi Original Glass Drinking Straw. The top-rated pick currently has over a hundred five-star ratings from Amazon reviewers, who note that it’s both comfortable to use and easy to clean.

“I thought that it would be a silly gimmick, and I actually felt stupid for purchasing this but it really does work. You do still purse your lips a little to use this straw but so much less than with a regular straw,” one shopper wrote. “It also feels a lot more effortless to use this straw style,” they continue, adding that less suction force is needed. “As an added bonus, it’s also fun to use and makes me want to drink more water!”

Even beyond the popular pick from Lipzi, there are other affordable anti-wrinkle straws available to buy on Amazon (including one with a different design).

State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users' mental health, widening government scrutiny of the wildly popular video platform.

The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.

U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users. The platform has an estimated 1 billion monthly users and is especially popular with teens and younger children.

Last month, Texas opened an investigation into TikTok's alleged violations of children's privacy and facilitation of human trafficking.

"Our children are growing up in the age of social media — and many feel like they need to measure up to the filtered versions of reality that they see on their screens," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. "We know this takes a devastating toll on children's mental health and well-being."

Bonta said the investigation aims to determine if TikTok is violating the law in promoting its platform to young people.

Government officials and child-safety advocates maintain that TikTok's computer algorithms pushing video content to users can promote eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide to young viewers.

TikTok has said it focuses on age-appropriate experiences, noting that some features, such as direct messaging, are not available to younger users. The company says it has tools in place, such as screen-time management, to help young people and parents moderate how long children spend on the app and what they see.

"We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community, and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users," the company said Wednesday. "We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens."

Early last year, after federal regulators ordered TikTok to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, the platform tightened its privacy practices for users under 18.

As its popularity has swelled, TikTok has come under a barrage of criticism from state officials, federal regulators, consumer advocates and lawmakers of both parties. Republicans have especially homed in on the company's ties to China. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

"TikTok threatens the safety, mental health and well-being of our kids," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the senior Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a hearing Tuesday.

Late last year a similar coalition of state attorneys general began an investigation into the Instagram photo-sharing platform, owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms, and its effects on young people. The action came after former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen revealed internal company research showing apparent harm to some teen users of Instagram.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden asked Congress to bolster privacy protections for children, including by banning advertising targeted at them and with measures aimed at reducing the promotion of content that contributes to addiction.

Critics of TikTok have pointed, for example, to incidents around the country that came to light last fall in which students vandalized school bathrooms and other equipment, and stole supplies — apparently in response to a viral TikTok challenge called "devious licks." Also last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported that teenage girls had been seeking medical care for the sudden onset of tics, such as jerky motions and verbal outbursts; doctors said TikTok videos on Tourette syndrome could be a factor.

A woman posted a heartwarming video to TikTok after she says she rescued a very sweet dog after it was in danger of being hit by a car in Atlanta, Georgia.

A TikTok user named "Tiffany" recorded the video after saving the dog she called "Deedee." She said that the dog was in traffic and in danger "in the middle of the street," as ViralHog reported.
The dog began to appear to become emotional and so the woman recorded it and said she "wanted to share her online in hopes that her owners would see her.

The dog was not microchipped she said.

@143tiffany Have you ever seen a dog cry real tears? she misses somebody! #lostdog #pitbullrescue #bullyrescue #lostdogatl #founddog #CloseYourRings #fyp ♬ original sound - Tiffany

User "@143Tiffany" posted a pinned comment under TikTok post writing, "DD has officially been reunited with her family because of this video!!!"

As ViralHog reported, the dog was said to be physically alright when she was rescued, but clearly emotionally worried after the ordeal.

The video gained over 986,000 likes on TikTok and generated over 8,576 comments with people worried for "Deedee" and her safety. After ViralHog posted the video to YouTube it gained at least 209,334 views there which all helped to reunite the sweet dog with her owner.

A TikTok video that has gathered millions of views in a matter of days shows a group of bagel shop employees in California walking out of their jobs to protest what they say was the wrongful termination of their general manager.

The 10-second video by user Beonce Sarmiento, shows Sarmiento and 15 other coworkers quitting on Saturday. As of Monday evening, more than 3.6 million people have watched the video.

"We're not replaceable," Sarmiento told sister station KCRA 3. "We're not disposable and you can't just fire somebody and not let them know."

Former general manager Bre Kowalski said she received a call Friday from her district manager saying she was on suspension likely because of a customer complaint, but she said there was no customer complaint. When she got home, she told sister station KCRA 3 she saw the final paycheck in her bank account.

"I just wanted to know why I was terminated because no one said I was terminated," Kowalski explained. "They said I was suspended. They had already fired me without telling me why I was fired."

Watch the video above for the full story.

In a TikTok video with more than 30 million views and 7 million likes, a chipmunk is paying for groceries at the cashier.

The rabbit cashier asks, "Paper or plastic?"

The chipmunk ominously replies — and repeats, at the rabbit's confusion, "Mouth."

In the next frame, the groceries (a pile of nuts) and the rabbit's hand are engulfed by the chipmunk in one mouthful.

This points audiences to the punchline, and an animal fact — chipmunks' cheeks can expand to a size three times larger than their heads.

By animating the chipmunk's elastic cheeks (and morbid tendencies), the creators with Natural Habitat Shorts say they're experimenting with "animals in human situations" — allowing the creatures to turn the tables for entertainment and drop some knowledge in the process.

"To animals, everything they do is very mundane. It's just survival to them," said Nicole Low, one of the creators behind the account. "This is how we must look to them filming their lives."

The brains behind the videos — college classmates-turned-roommates Low, Brennan Brinkley and Tyler Kula — saw TikTok as an opportunity to reimagine nature documentaries from the perspectives of animals. Their videos feature bats drinking coffee upside down at a cafe (and spilling the scalding drink on other customers) and crows dressing up as scarecrows for Halloween, using Cartoon-Network-style animations and voiceovers.

Like most animal videos on the internet, there's an audience for that. Since starting in August, the account has amassed over a million followers and nearly 20 million likes.

Less than a minute long each and averaging well over millions of views, videos from creators like Natural Habitat Shorts aren't going viral just for laughs. The TikToks are based on science and history — subjects that elementary school teachers dream of making their students excited for.

The concepts explored by Natural Habitat Shorts are all anchored around a fun fact about the animals. But nature — and its absurdity — lends itself to humor, which can help make complex concepts easier to understand, Brinkley said.

"There's so much irony in comedy," Brinkley said. "Finding the irony in the interesting things about these animals is really important."

The science of humor

There's a humor to science, and a science to humor.

Science and history as comedic entertainment isn't a new phenomenon. Comedy Central's "Drunk History," which featured historical reenactments based on inebriated narration, tackled topics like former U.S. presidents and famous inventions for six seasons.

Researchers like Stephen Hupp, a psychology professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, have studied the use of humor in engaging students and found that consistently entertaining students with humorous facts or visuals can help them retain information.

TikTok videos, while not nearly as extensive as the content covered in a full class period, can help pique interest in topics of natural history, Hupp said.

"It's a good tool to get engagement," Hupp said.

TikTok creator Adrian Bliss said he's always enjoyed museums and history. He converged his affinity for these subjects with his deadpan humor, garnering more than 3.5 million followers over the past year. His sketches are live-action reenactments, inspired by funny, strange scenarios that he said pop into his head — like an audience of crickets at a comedy show, or a dinosaur trying to sneak onto Noah's Ark.

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Bliss said the all-knowing algorithms of TikTok have helped him reach niche "corners" of the platform. His video on Henry the VIII found its way to "Tudor-Tok," as fans of the House of the Tudor informed him.

"It has to be entertaining and funny — that's the most important thing," Bliss said. "If it ends up being educational or inspires anyone to take interest in certain subjects, that's the perfect thing to make."

Bliss didn't expect the popularity — or for educators and scientists to reach out in the way they have. Bliss said he's seen comments from teachers saying they showed the videos to their class. Brinkley said a bat sanctuary reached out after seeing Natural Habitat Shorts' videos on bats.

"A teacher thinks your comment is interesting enough to be shown in their class," Bliss said. "It's quite cool ... a really nice feeling."

Christine Greenhow, an associate professor of educational psychology and technology at Michigan State University, researches the use of social media in the classroom. She said engaging students with funny videos can be "very powerful."

"Educators would benefit from greater understanding of how students are using social media for learning purposes outside of school and building on those practices within classrooms," Greenhow said.

Putting joke to fact

Bliss has a wardrobe of costumes for nearly every historical occasion. He's been Noah and all the animals on the ark in the same TikTok sketch. He's played both Romeo and Juliet, a cast of biblical figures and a Mona Lisa painting. (Yes, there's a costume for her.)

All the one-man show needs is a green screen, costume, tripod and a fact -- which he gets from places like the Natural History Museum in London and National Geographic articles. Sometimes his account's bio, "Down with the fourth wall" (which alludes to his characters making eye contact with the camera and breaking that invisible barrier between actor and audience), applies a little too well in real life.

"It's a strange — very strange — experience filming stuff on your own in a costume," Bliss said. "It's only bad when the doorbell goes, and you're dressed as a bumblebee or an egg."

Natural Habitat Shorts is also a lean operation. The trio met studying film at Florida State University, and they cite memories of the children's television show "Zoboomafoo" and educational videos from the Crash Course YouTube channel as inspirations. (Hank Green, one of the brothers behind Crash Course, now follows the Natural Habitat Shorts account.)

The three of them handle everything, including storyboards, animations, voiceovers and editing.

"Anyone can do it," Brinkley said. "You just need people around you that you trust their sense of humor."

TikTok, with its infinite feed and loops of videos under three minutes, is a platform for concise content and instant punchlines — Bliss and Natural Habitat Shorts' videos have never surpassed one minute. Brinkley said the limited timeframe is just long enough to introduce an idea and deliver a punchline.

Bliss said the intent for his videos was never to supplant a lecture or even be used in a classroom. But he hopes he can pique interest in topics he thinks are amusing.

"If you can access an interesting fact ... in a humorous way, I think it just makes it much more accessible," Bliss said. "You can't necessarily teach everything about the subject, of course, but it's a good entry point."

Bliss and Natural Habitat Shorts both said the key to their videos is to make content they find intriguing and entertaining. As the old saying goes — where there's a fact, there's a gag.

"I can't see us ever running out," Kula said. "There's too many animals."

This TikToker swapped a single bobby pin for a house

It took 1.5 years and 28 trades!

Updated: 9:55 PM EST Dec 15, 2021

It seems impossible — especially with today's housing market! — but one woman literally traded a single bobby pin for a house.Back in May 2020, Demi Skipper started the Trade Me Project on TikTok, in which she documented a series of trades until she ended up with a house. She finally completed her mission after a year and a half, scoring a home at the end of November.In her 28th and final exchange, Skipper traded a trailer worth $40,000 for a house in Clarksville, Tennessee. Along the way, she traded items including a vacuum, diamond necklace, Peloton, and even a Mustang."For a lot of people, homeownership feels far out of reach, so the entire journey was just about proving it was possible to trade a single bobby pin for a house," Skipper said.When she set out on this adventure, she didn't have a specific location for the home in mind.Wherever it was, though, she planned on living in it. But now, she's made a more generous decision: "After meeting so many amazing people along this journey, I've made the decision to trade the house to someone who really needs it — for a bobby pin," Skipper explains. "Meaning that person will get the new home, and I will get a bobby pin to start the journey all over again."The challenge was inspired by Kyle MacDonald, who completed a similar quest starting with a red paperclip in 2006."I'd love to be the first person who is crazy enough to do it twice," she says.We can't wait to see how she'll do it next time. Now, all we need to satisfy our curious souls is a tour of the inside of the Tennessee house!

Police in Kentucky were able to locate a missing North Carolina girl last week after a 911 caller was able to identify that the girl was signaling for help.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, police received a call last Thursday from a person who had noticed a girl in the car in front of them appeared to be in distress.

The sheriff's office says that the witness called 911 after noticing the girl was making a hand gesture popularized on TikTok and other social media platforms to indicate that she was in danger of domestic violence.

The hand gesture starts with the hand up, the palm out, and the thumb tucked in. The person in trouble then folds four fingers over the thumb to indicate that they need help.

The witness called 911, and the Laurel County Sheriff's office sent deputies to track down the silver Toyota the girl was riding in. Deputies pulled the car over at the intersection of I-75 and Kentucky state route 80 in the town of London.

In the car, deputies found a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Asheville, North Carolina, two days prior. She told deputies that she had "gotten with" the driver, James Herbert Brick, who had taken her through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and into Ohio, where Brick had relatives.

The sheriff's office said that once Brick's relatives realized the girl was underage and had been reported missing, he fled the state of Ohio. That's when the girl began signaling to motorists passing by.

After his arrest, Brick was charged with first-degree unlawful imprisonment and possession of a matter of sex performance by a minor (over 12 but under 18).

According to NBC News, the hand signal that led to the arrest was first introduced by the Canadian Women's Foundation and has since been used by people in distress around the world.

BALTIMORE — What started as a small interaction in Baltimore has turned into inspiration for people around the world.

In between showings in Federal Hill Sunday, realtor Alyssia Essig parked at the Museum of Industry to eat lunch.

It’s where 19-year-old Asen Gyenyame was practicing a tough skateboard trick.

“I probably sat there for a solid 20 minutes watching him continue to try,” said Essig. “I know the power of being told that someone believes in you, so I just thought I’m gonna hop out of the car real quick, give him a little love, and then be on my way.”

And that’s what she did, unknowingly on camera.

“Whatever you do in your life, you’re going to knock it out of the park. Only because you’re sitting here, busting your (expletive) to nail this one trick. You’ll do that the rest of your life,” Essig told him.

“I didn’t expect what she gave me,” said Gyenyame.

He was inspired. Minutes later, he nailed the trick. The next day, he decided to post the interaction on TikTok.

“It got a lot of traction,” said Gyenyame.

In just a few days, it has captured the hearts of millions of people.

“I think we made the world a little better just because of it,” said Gyenyame.

But Essig had no idea… until her husbands’ friend in California saw it on Reddit.

“I was crying reading these comments because it seems like people are so starved for love and attention and affection, “said Essig.

They hadn’t even exchanged names.

Scripps Baltimore station WMAR’s Abby Isaacs found them both on social media. It brought them together for a heartfelt reunion Thursday at the place they met, the Museum of Industry parking lot.

“I love your energy, so thank you so much for giving me that support,” said Gyenyame to Essig.

What they gave the world as inspiration, but they got something out of it too.

For Gyenyame, it was supporting.

“We can support each other, and everyone doesn’t have to stand alone and be by themselves. A lot of people have the mindset, even I do. That’s why I was skating alone, that you have to do it by yourself and that’s the only way, but you can reach out to other people, and it can be beneficial for the other person,” said Gyenyame.

For Essig, it was affirmation.

“I have a very big loud personality, and I struggle. Not everyone likes that. A lot of people think it’s too much or too loud or too in your face, but when a million people like it and 30,000 comments are like, ‘You’re amazing.’ ‘Your energy is 'awesome,' it’s very reaffirming like you know what no I’m actually pretty okay and I can be who I am,” said Essig.

The pair have vowed to stay connected and carry positivity into their everyday lives.

Essig wants to start sharing words of encouragement on her TikTok page @alyssiaessig_realtor, and Gyenyame hopes his newfound following on TikTok @skatevibes01 will help turn his passion into a business where he teaches kids how to skateboard.

Abby Isaacs at WMAR first reported this story.

An 18-year-old student in Louisiana is facing a felony charge and up to 10 years in prison for an alleged TikTok challenge, resulting in the assault of a disabled teacher.

St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Warren Montgomery announced Tuesday that Larrianna Jackson, of Covington, Louisiana, was charged with felony second-degree battery and cruelty to the infirmed.

Jackson was arrested on Oct. 6 by the Covington Police Department for felony battery of a school teacher.

Police said she assaulted a 64-year-old teacher who is disabled after the dismissal bell rang.

Due to injuries sustained by the attack, the teacher had to seek medical attention at an area hospital, according to police.

Officers on the scene were provided a video that captured the entire incident.

In the video, police say you can see the schoolteacher sitting at her desk where she appears to be talking to Larrianna Jackson.

After a moment, police say Jackson punches the teacher, causing the teacher to fall to the ground. As the teacher fell to the ground, Jackson continues to violently closed-fist punch the teacher. The video then turns off at this point.

Officers said they learned that the attack may have been prompted by a viral social media application known as TikTok.

Evidently, users on the app have deemed it to be a challenge to damage school property and attack teachers, according to police.

"The Covington Police Department would like to remind everyone that anyone who participates in such a challenge will be booked accordingly. In this post we also attached the video that has been circulating around the internet. This matter is still under investigation and more arrests are forthcoming," a statement issued by Covington Police said.

TikTok released the a statement regarding the challenge circulating on its app.

"The rumored 'slap a teacher' dare is an insult to educators everywhere. And while this is not a trend on TikTok, if at any point it shows up, content will be removed," according to a statement posted on Twitter.

Jackson faces up to 10 years and will be arraigned by 22nd Judicial District Court Judge Richard A. Swartz on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m., according to Montgomery.

Schools across the country are warning students and parents about a dangerous new prank leading students to hit teachers and staffers.

Previously, the trend called "devious licks" had students vandalize and steal from school bathrooms. Now, administrators are sending a clear warning to students.

A Boston-area school district knows the challenge is very real after it happened to a middle school teacher on Thursday at Braintree School District.

"Please be aware that physically assaulting any member in the Braintree schools will immediately result in notification to the Braintree Police Department and significant school-based discipline, up to and including, expulsion. The potential legal charges range from assault to indecent assault and battery," Braintree schools said in a letter.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters said in a letter this week that any engagement in the social media challenge "will not be tolerated."

Schools across the country have said that students could risk expulsion and criminal charges.

Sakinah Shaahid-Lowman has a 16-year-old at Obama Academy in Pittsburgh.

"She was like 'I know if I was to ever try to do that I would be in so much trouble,'" she said. "I was shocked like they’re actually doing this for real. She showed me some clips and I’m like they're actually doing this."

The president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Nina Esposito-Visgitis calls the latest trend targeting teachers "cruel."

"We worked so hard to get back into our schools," she said. "I think it’s very sad and kind of shocking that this is something that’s even being discussed."

Meanwhile, LaShonda Bilbo-Ervin, of Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, said a warning was prompted in part by teachers bringing this social media trend to the attention of administrators.

"We owe them safety and security as well as we owe for the students inside our building," she said. "And so we're supporting our teachers by sending the message out to our families that we are aware of this, and then we ultimately will not condone those actions."

TikTok said the challenge will be removed from its platform if found.

"The rumored 'slap a teacher' dare is an insult to educators everywhere. And while this is not a trend on TikTok, if at any point it shows up, content will be removed," TikTok said.

Hearst stations WTAE, KMBC and WCVB contributed to this report.

Destructive TikTok challenges are causing trouble in school districts across Greater Cincinnati.

We first told you about them last week.

Now, in Harrison, the Southwest Local School District said restrooms have been vandalized and students have been caught.

A spokeswoman for Cincinnati Public Schools said the TikTok troubles haven't been raised to their attention at this point, but on social media, people have said it is happening within the schools as well.

It is a bad trend in many districts, according to school leaders.

"Just a general disruption to the school setting as a result of the influence of the videos that they're viewing online," Lockland City Schools Superintendent Bob Longworth said.

Schools report water fountains damaged, soap dispensers trashed and stuff stolen.

In Boone County, eight students have been cited, and it is happening elsewhere, all for the sake of likes, comments, follows and shares.

"Basically young people all over our region and state and country are being influenced to make really poor choices, resulting in the destruction of property," Longworth said.

Longworth said the "Devious Licks" TikTok challenge is an alarming trend.

In Middletown, there are more police officers in the schools because of the viral vandalism.

"So many children right now are starting to get frustrated with this challenge in school, and they want their classmates to stop because they enjoy coming to school every day, focusing in the classroom and being able to learn," Middletown City Schools Superintendent Marlon Styles, Jr. said.

The Southwest Local School District said Harrison High School restrooms have been vandalized; students have been caught in three different incidents and two more are under investigation.

They warn that students could face charges and families could get repair bills.

Mason City Schools Superintendent Jonathan Cooper said a small group is responsible in his district.

"We have great custodians and maintenance staff that, they work hard, and so to have to come back around and continue to fix those things can be a bit frustrating," he said.

They all said it is time parents talk with their kids to buck this trend.

"It should be a challenge for all of us as parents to lean in and look at what's going on on social media with our kids," Cooper said.

In Boone County, sheriff's officials said eight students face charges including theft and criminal mischief.

Juvenile courts in Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties said no children have been charged in these kind of incidents at this time.

TikTok has confirmed it has banned all content around this trend.

'Everything is how many likes we can get': School official frustrated over new trend on social media

New trend on social media is causing concerns with officials at the Martin County School District

Updated: 10:49 AM EDT Sep 18, 2021

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>> The Reporter: YOU KNOW, AS YOU SAY, OUR SCHOOL DISICTRTS ACROSS THE COURYNT DEALING WITH THIS TIK TOK BATHRMOO CHALLENGE, AND LIKE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OFFICIALS HERE IN MARTIN COUY,NT WELL, THEY'RE WARNING STUDENTS HERE WHO PARTICIPATE. >> JUST SOMETHING ON THE BACK, LIKE A HOLDER, AND THEY'LL RIP IT OFF THE HOLDER AND THEN PUT IT IN THE TOILET. >> Theep Rorter: THIS IS A PHOTO OF WHERE ONE OF THOSE SOAP DISPENNERS ENDED UP. FRANK IS THE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY HERE AT THE MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRT.IC >> IT'S ON TIK TOK AND WHAT THEY'RE DOINGS I THEY'RE DOING DAGEMA TO BATHROOMS, SUCH AS RIPPING OFF SPOA DISPENSERS, THROWING IT IN TOILETS, STOPPING UP TOILETS, THEN POSTING IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. >> The Reporter: HE SAYS, IT'S CALLEDHE T BATHROOM, OR DEVIOUS LICKS CHALLENGE, WHERE STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE COURYNT WHO PARTICIPATE RECORD THEMSELVES TRASHING BATHROOMS IN SCHOOLS FOR LIKES AND FOLLOWS. >> WHAT'S HAPPENING IS, EVERYTHING IS IN THE NOW, HOW MANY LIKES CAN WE GET, AND THEY REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS. >> The Reporter: AND HE SAYS, THERE'S MORE. >> THERE'S TWO PARTS TO THE ACTUAL CHALLENGE, ONE IS WHAT I JUST MENTION,ED AND THE SECOND ONE IS TRYING TO TAKE PROPERTY FROM A TEACHER AND THEN POSTING THAT ONOCIA SL MEDIA AS WELL. >> The Reporter: THE INCIDENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AT EACHID MDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN THE DISTRICT. ONE PRINCIPAL SENT THIS RECORDED MESSAGE TO PENARTS. >> IT IS MY HOPE THAT YOU WILL SPEAK WITH YOUR CHILD THIS EVINENG, TONS EURE THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPECTING THEMSELVES, OTHERS, AND OUR SCHOOL PROPERTY. >>> OFFICIALS ATTIC TOBAGO SAY THEY'RE REMOVING THE CONNTTE AND REDIRECTING HASHTAGS AND ALSO RELEASED A STATEMENT, WHICH IN PART READS, WE EXPECT OUR COMMUNITY TO STAY SAFE,ND A CREATE RESPONSIBLY. AND WE DO NOT ALLOW CONTENT THAT PROMOTES OR ENABLES CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. >> DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH DAMAGE IS CAUSED OR IF YOU'RE ACTUAYLL TAKING SOMETHING PERNASOL PROPERTY FROM A TEACHER, THAT'S A CRIME. WE'RE GNGOI TO PUNISH U,YO TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, TO WHATCH SOOL DISCIPLINE AS WELL. >> The Reporter: AND HE ALSO SAYS, HE'S ASKING ANYONE WHO SAW SOMETHING TO SAY SOMETHING, AND HE SAYS, THERE AREEV SERAL VENU,ES PLATFORMS, STUDENTS CAN USE TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. REPORTING LIVE IN MARTIN COU

'Everything is how many likes we can get': School official frustrated over new trend on social media

New trend on social media is causing concerns with officials at the Martin County School District

Updated: 10:49 AM EDT Sep 18, 2021

A new trend that's going viral on TikTok across the country has school officials concerned.Many districts are worried about a trend known as the "bathroom" or "devious lick" challenge, where students record themselves trashing bathrooms in schools for likes and follows."It's on TikTok,” said Frank Frangella, the director of safety and security at Martin County School District in Florida. "What they're doing is they're doing damage to bathrooms, such as ripping off soap dispensers, throwing them in toilets, stopping up toilets then posting it on social media."Frangella said the challenge has two parts."The second one is trying to take property from a teacher and then posting that on social media as well," Frangella said.He said incidents have happened at all of the middle and high schools in the district."What's happening is everything is now how many likes can we get," Frangella said. "They really don't understand the consequences of their actions."Officials with the social media platform said the videos are being removed."We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibility, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities. We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement sent to sister station WPBF.School district officials said they are asking parents to please speak with their children about the seriousness of these types of offenses, as in-school disciplinary consequences and the potential for legal action are severe.

A new trend that's going viral on TikTok across the country has school officials concerned.

Many districts are worried about a trend known as the "bathroom" or "devious lick" challenge, where students record themselves trashing bathrooms in schools for likes and follows.

"It's on TikTok,” said Frank Frangella, the director of safety and security at Martin County School District in Florida. "What they're doing is they're doing damage to bathrooms, such as ripping off soap dispensers, throwing them in toilets, stopping up toilets then posting it on social media."

Frangella said the challenge has two parts.

"The second one is trying to take property from a teacher and then posting that on social media as well," Frangella said.

He said incidents have happened at all of the middle and high schools in the district.

"What's happening is everything is now how many likes can we get," Frangella said. "They really don't understand the consequences of their actions."

Officials with the social media platform said the videos are being removed.

"We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibility, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities. We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement sent to sister station WPBF.

School district officials said they are asking parents to please speak with their children about the seriousness of these types of offenses, as in-school disciplinary consequences and the potential for legal action are severe.