NYC officials are trying to stop the deadly social media trend of ‘subway surfing’

New York City officials are attempting to halt the dangerous social media trend of “subway surfing” due to a rise in related fatalities.

The problem: “Subway surfing,” or climbing atop moving subway cars, has led to the deaths of four teenagers and two serious injuries in the first six months of 2023 alone.
* Over the previous five years, 2018 to 2022, there were only five suspected fatalities related to this dangerous activity.

Enforcement details: NYPD officers have made numerous arrests, alerted parents and guardians of identified surfers, and warn of the lethal consequences of the activity.
* NYPD Chief of Transit, Michael Kemper, noted there have been “dozens of apprehensions and over 70 arrests” related to subway surfing this year.
* Police officers are engaging in a door-to-door campaign, speaking to the kin of known surfers about the danger their loved ones face.

Taking it to social media: NYC Mayor Eric Adams has urged social media platforms to ban content promoting the hazardous trend.
* Social media giant TikTok issued a statement of condolences after a related death but has not confirmed whether it will comply with the city’s request to ban such content.
* Videos cited to TikTok by NPR have been removed, however, there has been no comment from YouTube and Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company.

By the numbers: Since the beginning of 2023, 82 instances of subway surfing have been recorded by the NYPD.
* This activity has been responsible for the deaths of four teenagers in the year’s first six months, a significant increase from five over the previous five years.

View original article on NPR

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