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On Sunday, December 10, the term "Don’t search Neon Brown" began trending on TikTok after users across the globe banned together, warning unsuspecting people from falling for a trap laid out by an account posting NSFW explicit content.
TikTok, a platform launched in 2016 as a portal to innocuous, quirky, and humorous content, has recently become a landmine with sinister viral challenges and disturbing trends. While the app’s algorithm filters out content that violates the platform’s guidelines regarding adult content, clout chasers sometimes bypass the filters and circumvent rules to gain viral views.
“Don’t Search Neon Brown” is the latest offering in TikTok’s disturbing trends. The phrase began trending on TikTok after TikTokers began warning other users about an account @neon.brown1, posting bawdy crude and inappropriate thumbnails that also included deep fakes of certain celebrities.
As horrified TikTokers warned other users to stay away from the content, the account, which was active for a day, generated massive interest simply by engaging their curiosity through reactions and memes suggesting they avoid the page. In a few hours, people began to swarm accounts, warning others not to watch the NSFW content posted by the account.
How "Don't Search Neon Brown" began trending online
Crude NSFW content posted by the account @neon.brown1 has sparked a new trend online after horrified users began making memes and reaction videos, warning others to "Don’t search Neon Brown." While TikTok moderators are usually adept at moderating adult content, this account managed to bypass the guidelines for a few hours.
The trend warning people not to search for the account failed to have its intended effect. Instead, it led to a huge influx of followers in a short period. Per the comments on TikTok, people seemingly found the explicit content page after users began making videos and reactions warning others to steer clear of the account. The posts gathered hundreds of thousands of plays, likes, and shares, leading the phrase to begin trending online.
This isn’t the first time TikTok moderators have fumbled the ball, leading users to upload and access NSFW content online easily. In 2022, around the same time, a series of slideshow posts with adult content and nudity began making its rounds on TikTok for a few days before it was taken down.
In light of the latest controversy, a TikTok user @jade_harley0 even referenced last year’s incident, saying, "Don't search neon brown is gonna be this year's incident." However, that didn’t prevent viewers from searching the term online, sparking a new trend.
