A Church of Scientology building in Manhattan became the latest target Saturday in a nationwide TikTok-fueled "speedrunning" trend where youths break into religious facilities, film themselves rushing through buildings, and post videos for social media attention that have racked up millions of views.
A group of youths allegedly broke through a locked door to enter the church on West 36th Street at 4:30 p.m., according to NYPD. Once inside, they allegedly threw objects, damaged property, and injured a staff member. The incident reflects a broader trend where participants film themselves rushing through Church of Scientology buildings to see how far they can get before being stopped.
"Organized trespasses into religious facilities for social media attention represent criminal behavior that social media platforms enable by providing audiences and engagement rewards for destructive conduct that violates property rights and religious freedom."
Videos tied to the trend have accumulated millions of views, including clips from Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles showing teens running through a Scientology information center. One witness told The Associated Press he saw a man dressed in a neon green inflatable costume who, along with friends, entered the building through the front door when open, passing security guards and multiple workers.
Conservative critics note that social media platforms create perverse incentives rewarding criminal trespassing and property destruction through views, likes, and viral fame. TikTok's algorithm amplifies such content, encouraging copycat behavior by showing participants they can achieve social media success through illegal invasions of religious facilities. The fact that these videos accumulate millions of views demonstrates platform culpability in facilitating organized criminal activity.
The speedrunning trend specifically targets Church of Scientology facilities across the nation, raising questions about whether the pattern constitutes organized harassment of a specific religious group. Regardless of opinions about Scientology, religious institutions deserve protection from trespassing, vandalism, and assaults on staff motivated by social media attention-seeking.
The Scientology speedrunning trend exemplifies how social media platforms enable and reward criminal behavior targeting religious institutions. TikTok should face consequences for amplifying videos showing illegal trespassing and property destruction that encourage nationwide criminal activity. Law enforcement must prosecute participants aggressively while platforms bear responsibility for creating environments where breaking into religious facilities and assaulting staff becomes entertainment generating millions of views rewarding exactly the destructive conduct they claim to prohibit.