The “Luh Twizzy” TikTok trend has sparked fierce debate across the country after teenagers flocked to Mall of Africa at the weekend and created chaos.
Young people dressed in black stormed the northern Johannesburg shopping centre and simulated a gang-style fight.
A representative of mall management confirmed there were disruptions but denied claims someone had died during the commotion.
Described by one teen as “another level of Skrr Skrr kids”, Luh Twizzy appears to have morphed from fans of American rapper Yeat, who influenced other artists and TikTok challenges.
This, at least locally, developed into a term to describe teenagers who often hide their face, plan large public gatherings and associate with others of the same name. It has since become synonymous with mobs.
One social media user claimed there are two groups within the trend's local movement that cannot associate with each other.
Those who associate with Luh Twizzy have stormed malls and left.
TikTok told TimesLIVE its investigation found no evidence the "Luh Twizzy challenge" originated on its platform.
"The safety and well-being of our community is a top priority at TikTok. While circulating reports claim that the Luh Twizzy challenge originated on TikTok, upon investigation, we can confirm we have not seen any evidence that suggests this may be the case.
"As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury or damage to property.
"As a platform, we always aim to strike a good balance between enabling free speech and preventing harmful violative content. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behaviour whether online or off".
While some see the trend as a harmless bit of fun, others have warned it could get out of hand and urged parents to be aware of their children's activities.
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Image: Screengrab via Twitter
The “Luh Twizzy” TikTok trend has sparked fierce debate across the country after teenagers flocked to Mall of Africa at the weekend and created chaos.
Young people dressed in black stormed the northern Johannesburg shopping centre and simulated a gang-style fight.
A representative of mall management confirmed there were disruptions but denied claims someone had died during the commotion.
Described by one teen as “another level of Skrr Skrr kids”, Luh Twizzy appears to have morphed from fans of American rapper Yeat, who influenced other artists and TikTok challenges.
This, at least locally, developed into a term to describe teenagers who often hide their face, plan large public gatherings and associate with others of the same name. It has since become synonymous with mobs.
One social media user claimed there are two groups within the trend's local movement that cannot associate with each other.
Those who associate with Luh Twizzy have stormed malls and left.
TikTok told TimesLIVE its investigation found no evidence the "Luh Twizzy challenge" originated on its platform.
"The safety and well-being of our community is a top priority at TikTok. While circulating reports claim that the Luh Twizzy challenge originated on TikTok, upon investigation, we can confirm we have not seen any evidence that suggests this may be the case.
"As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury or damage to property.
"As a platform, we always aim to strike a good balance between enabling free speech and preventing harmful violative content. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behaviour whether online or off".
While some see the trend as a harmless bit of fun, others have warned it could get out of hand and urged parents to be aware of their children's activities.
TimesLIVE reported the Mall of Africa incident followed similar chaos last year at Montecasino in Fourways and Protea Glen in Soweto.
“They almost always hide their faces in the TikTok posts. The drivers of this behaviour are not really clear. A lot of this is mob psychology-based,” said digital parenting expert and co-founder of Klikd Sarah Hoffman.
Radio personality Anele Mdoda urged parents to pay close attention to the “movement”.
“I am sure it was an innocent gathering in the beginning, but after chatting to a few children on the show today [Tuesday] there seems to be a nefarious tone to these monthly mall gatherings.”
TimesLIVE
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