Here's How To Do TikTok's Viral Headphone Challenge

You know a TikTok trend has really taken off when your favorite celebrities get on board with it, so by that definition it seems the Headphones Challenge is the latest viral moment. While the general concept of this prank has been done before on platforms like YouTube, it’s currently making its rounds on TikTok — and even Kylie Jenner got involved.

The hashtag #headphonechallenge has 219.9 million views on TikTok and has been gracing FYPs with hilarious content. All you need to participate in the challenge is a partner to play with, a cell phone to call and one to record, and a pair of headphones to block out any noise. If you’re feeling mischievous and want to harmlessly prank a friend without causing any *actual* distress, here’s everything you need to know about the viral challenge.

Basically, the Headphone Challenge is a form of prank-calling that adds an extra layer of humor. One person wears headphones and blasts music so they can’t hear what’s going on, then they call someone and put them on speaker. The second person involved isn’t wearing headphones and is listening to the phone conversation while miming to the individual wearing headphones how to respond. It’s essentially a mix of prank-calling, telephone, and charades.

On TikTok, videos of groups of friends participating in the Headphone Challenge are going viral, like one from user @.haileyyoon who called one of the friends’ crushes without them knowing he was on the line. The resulting videos are as equally funny as they are cringe since it can be hard to watch how absurd the conversations get.

Others take a more wholesome route and call their parents while being told by their friends what to say, like @jessienorbz who pranked her dad with her sister.

Some videos take an unexpected turn, like TikTok user @chlomunt who phoned one of her best guy friends and ended up telling a completely made-up story about her high school teacher falling down a well after being prompted by her prank partner in a video with over 155,000 likes. “This sounds like a Duolingo conversation,” one commenter wrote. “The tears from laughter rolled down my face the entire time, while I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Hats off ladies,” said another. By the end of the prank call, the friend on the other line caught on to what they were doing.

The Headphone Challenge has gotten so popular that Kylie Jenner hopped on the trend with her makeup artist Ariel to prank call her mom Kris Jenner. In the video, which now has 4.5 million likes, Kris asks if Kylie has been drinking and plays along with the nonsense Kylie is prompted to say in true “you’re doing amazing, sweetie” fashion.

To participate in the trend yourself, all you need is a buddy, a pair of headphones, a cellphone, and another video recording device if you hope to go viral. After that, all that’s left to do is put your trust in your prank partner’s hands and hope for the best.