Watch Out Twin Falls For TikTok Jail Prank Call; My Kid Got Me!
This latest Internet prank where parents answer their phones and are told they have a collect call from the local jail from their kid almost gave me a heart attack. My 18-year-old daughter just victimized me, and it took a good solid hour or so to find the humor in it.
My cell phone rang at about 6 PM Wednesday evening, and that recorded message that many of us have heard at least once in our lives began to play. I nearly lost my #$%$. The message says that an inmate (your kid) is attempting to reach you via collect call from the local jail.
I hadn't yet heard of the TikTok "Jail Prank Call," and so I fell for it...hard. Kids are using the Google Translate to enter the text of the message, and what results sounds 100% real. I'm pretty sure my neighbors heard me yell "WHAT!," incredibly loud. My wife was sitting on the couch when I yelled to her, "She's been arrested!"
My daughter actually recorded her call (above) to me because she knew I would totally lose it. Heart palpitations are just one of the perks of being a parent. (CAUTION: This audio contains some profanity)
What followed was about five straight minutes of laughter on the other end of my phone from my daughter and her closest friend. My daughter has been in theater for the past five years, so she sold it incredibly well. I've since watched a few of the TikTok videos, and some of the parent's reactions were pretty spot on with mine. (CAUTION: This video contains some profanity)
My mission for sharing this story is not to be a teen fun sponge, but instead to brace overprotective parents like myself for what might be coming. If my daughter didn't live in her own apartment, she'd be grounded.