What does April 24 mean on TikTok? Disturbing trend resurfaces

April 24 has, once again, popped up as a date of interest on TikTok, but there are some disturbing claims behind the date. Here’s what you need to know. 

Over the last few years, TikTokers have been obsessed with different dates on the calendar, linking many of them to trends and, for the most part, hoaxes. 

The majority of these dates have been about TikTok shutting down, students having to return to school after a long period away, some even quitting their education, and links to hidden meanings in popular song lyrics. 

Most of these are harmless, but now we’ve moved into April, and a more dangerous hoax has popped up around April 24. 

What is April 24 on TikTok? 

The April 24 hoax originally started back in 2021, when some TikTokers declared it as “national r**e day” in the United States – claiming it is actually a national holiday. This has also spread to other countries. 

April is the month that has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month by a number of US-based charities, but there isn’t a holiday being observed. 

Others compared it to The Purge, suggesting April 24 would be a day when certain crimes are legal for a certain period of time. There are some clips that have claimed that April 24 is also the date at which aliens will, finally, reveal themselves to humans.

Of course, this just isn’t true, but the date has still spread enough to worry plenty of social media users, with some threatening clips racking up thousands of views. There are also plenty of supportive clips, aimed at easing concerns around the date.

A number of female users have gone as far as to say they won’t leave their houses for fear of something happening and urged others to follow suit. 

These disturbing clips can, and should, be reported to TikTok by users who find them threatening as they do go against the platform’s guidelines. 

If you are affected by the themes explored in this article, please call Mental Health America at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Or, if you are based in the UK, please call 24/7 crisis hotline Samaritans at 116 123.