7 days ago
Young people urged to stop exploring abandoned buildings as part of 'dangerous' TikTok trend
A social media challenge is 'putting lives at risk', according to the police.
The trend, known as 'Urban Ex', involves TikTok users sharing videos of themselves venturing into historic structures.
However, entering these buildings can be dangerous, with concerns that young people are taking risks to chase popularity and views online.
In Jersey, groups have filmed inside the derelict St Saviour's Hospital, the War Tunnels, and on top of Fort Regent.
Chief Inspector Craig Jackson from the States of Jersey Police said: "The buildings can be structurally unsafe and full of hazards that put the lives of those entering them at risk, not to mention those of the emergency services who will be called if they get into trouble."
The island's Infrastructure Minister, Connétable Andy Jehan, fears that young people could get seriously injured by exploring these places unsupervised and without safety equipment.
He said: "We're really concerned that some of them may get themselves hurt.
"We can see that more and more youngsters seem to be doing this and show their friends what they're doing, often in dangerous places where we've got buildings that are closed.
"They're closed for a reason and we would urge people to adhere to that notice."
The minister added that these buildings can include dangers such as fall hazards and asbestos.
ITV News spoke to some of the TikTok users creating and sharing these videos.
They argue that their content should be celebrated as they offer a snapshot of locations that would otherwise be undocumented.
The minister admitted that what the social media users are doing is not illegal in Jersey as the island has no trespass law.
However, he added: "There's a reason people enter these places with a hard hat and boots and we'd urge people to err on the side of caution.
"We've all been young and we've all done things we wish we probably hadn't done. What we're saying is that now we know far more perhaps than we did when I was a youth, it's not safe. Therefore, I would urge people not to do it.
"There are plenty of things that young people and old people alike can do around the island to get an adrenaline kick.
"Going into old building sites is not one of them."
