One of the most viral trends on TikTok right now has users posting footage of unsuspecting victims being recorded without their knowledge, and it's got some people concerned about bullying on the app.

The trend is known as the "Flip the Camera Challenge" or "Flip the Camera Trend," and it involves tricking someone into filming you do a TikTok dance, only to turn the camera around on them and record their reaction.

So, what makes the Flip the Camera trend so controversial, and why are people saying it's a form of bullying? Here's what you need to know.

@24.batman 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#fyp #nbayoungboy #funny #foryourpage #dance ♬ original sound – Underated

What Is The 'Flip the Camera' Trend?

The Flip the Camera trend started spreading on TikTok at the end of October 2025, with one of the earliest known examples being posted by TikToker @jaycrudddy on October 29th. In the video, set to the rap song "Mari Glock," a group of TikTokers perform what looks like a regular TikTok dance.

Then, the dancer closest to the camera reaches over and "flips" the camera on the person recording, suddenly showing him standing there with no knowledge that he's being filmed.

"Flipping the camera" means switching the phone from recording on the selfie camera to the main camera. This is done by reaching over to the phone screen and tapping on a button, meaning that the person recording has to be holding the camera screen out.

The video from TikTok user @jaycrudddy gained over a million views in just a few weeks and sparked the trend as it subsequently spread online.

@jaycrudddy 😂😂😂😂 lil Mari glockkkkk #fyp #dmvtiktok #dmv #dc ♬ original sound – Underated

How Is TikTok Reacting To The 'Flip the Camera' Trend?

The trend started going viral throughout early November 2025, resulting in numerous viral videos. In each of these videos, a group of TikTokers is shown dancing, recorded by the selfie cam, followed by them "flipping the cam" on the recorder without their knowledge.

While some of these TikTokers claim that they got the permission of the person recording to upload and film them, others do not make this clear.

This has led to mixed reactions from many on TikTok, who see the trend as a form of bullying. In their opinions, the TikTokers doing the trend are targeting people whom they perceive as ugly to record them.

The idea is that flipping the camera on the person recording is meant to be funny because of the way that the person recording looks.

Now, some TikTokers are speaking out about the trend and discouraging others from taking part in it.

@talkden69 Leave people alone 💔 #fyp #flipthecamera #xyzbca #flipthecamerachallenge ♬ peace – Mindset

What Are Some More 'Flip the Camera' Trend Examples?

@urfav.2ka #flipthecamerachallenge #fypシ #trending ♬ original sound – Chiraq✨

@1way.1k 😂😂😂#fypシ #viraltiktok #fyp #flipthecamerachallenge ♬ original sound – Underated

@randomgirl3085 #viral #newtrend #funny #viral #viral ♬ original sound – Underated

@2famouswizz Shout out to one of my fav janitors 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾 #foryoupage #trending #chicago #dance #tiktok ♬ original sound – Underated

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For the full history of the Flip the Camera trend, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.