Two Brockville, Ont. youths facing charges over alleged 'Orbeez challenge' incident

Brockville police say two youths are facing charges following an incident last week at the Brockville Arts Centre that investigators are linking to a supposed TikTok "challenge."

Police said they received a complaint about youths firing a BB gun at bystanders on King Street West and Perth Street on April 14. Police claimed in a news release that the suspects were using an "Orbeez" toy firearm that shoots the popular water beads. No one was hurt.

Two young people, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have been arrested. Each is facing three counts of assault with a weapon. 

The Brockville Police Service said that they believed the incident was linked to a supposed TikTok trend they called the "Orbeez challenge", which apparently encourages children to load the beads into airsoft guns and fire them at unsuspecting people.

A search for #orbeezchallenge on TikTok produces the following note:

"This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok's top priority." It then links to the social media app's community guidelines. You can still click on the hashtag in posted videos to see other posts with that tag. Most depict people playing with the beads as intended. 

It is, however, easy enough to find videos on TikTok that depict people using multi-coloured electric guns to fire the beads. Some videos, but not all, are tagged with a disclaimer that says, "Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt."

There are no guns specifically designed for Orbeez on the product's official website. Spin Master, the Canadian company that markets Orbeez, has said in statements to U.S. media that it does not manufacture or sell guns that shoot Orbeez and that the toy beads are not intended to be used as projectiles.

Police warn that firing pellets at unsuspecting people could result in criminal charges. Police in York Region and Caledon, Ont. have reported similar incidents, which led to teens being charged.

Both youths charged in the incident in Brockville have been released from custody and are awaiting future court dates.