Who would you call in case of an emergency? TikTokers contemplate their choice in new viral trend

By Abby Amoakuh

Published Feb 7, 2025 at 12:08 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Choosing an emergency contact is a big deal. But a new TikTok trend has netizens realising something rather unsettling: instead of picking a family member who’d drop everything for them in a heartbeat, they chose to go with their boyfriends—the same guys who struggle to focus on more than one task at a time, would lose their heads if they weren’t attached to their bodies, and couldn’t keep their phones charged to save their own lives. Sounds familiar? Introducing the viral emergency contact TikTok trend.

What is the emergency contact trend on TikTok?

The trend, in a nutshell, allows netizens to repurpose all the embarrassing home videos they have made of their partners in the past few years.

It is set to the iconic tune ‘Ordinary Girl’ by Hannah Montana, aka Miley Stewart/Cyrus (But psst, that’s a secret) and highlights the conventional life and day-to-day struggles experienced by the subject.

Now imagine an accident disturbing this mundane and serene scene. And who is in charge? Their emergency contact: The person who regularly fell into the pool backwards, tried to dive into a snow slope, plays Formula One with shopping carts, and is in constant fear of being attacked by birds.

@ashleyxalana

At least I’ll get chocolate🥲 #relationship #relatable #xyzabc

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@nikitahana_

Inlove with the class clown 😅😅 #emergencycontact #relationshipmemes #funnyvideos #trending #classclown #couplecomedy

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On first thought, this potential possibility doesn’t make anyone feel as though they’d be in the best possible hands. And that’s what this trend is all about.

“Realising that I’m changing my emergency contact from my mum (who raised me) to a man who would trade me for a dinner with Bukayo Saka,” one user captioned her video.

Someone else wrote: “Realising that I changed my emergency contact from my dad to a man who makes me pull his finger before he farts.”

Other participants revealed that they were also shocked to realise that they’d changed their emergency contact to a man who “is scared of his own shadow,” “asked me which side of the toast to butter,” “can’t manage to figure out where the dirty clothes hamper is,” and “would decline a call if it was in the middle of his gym session #legday #gainz.”

@katiee_chandler

It’s not what you think it is… 🤦🏼‍♀️ the boys obsessed with his new tools 🛠️ 😂😭 #emergencycontact #fyp #foryou

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@aliciaquarmby

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Should we be worried? Hardly.

The witty and fond approach with which these posts were made, reveals that this is simply an homage to their partners’ silly and goofy side, rather than a public shaming.

Besides, men quickly started to jump on the trend too revealing that their own partner’s behaviour also regularly makes them doubt their ability to manage a crisis.

@charlieboymumma

To think I trust him with my life when he’s a walking accident #fyp #trend #emergencycontact #trendingnow #trending #partner #foryoupage

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@aaronwins

never a dull day in London with you 🫶🏼 #londonlife #traveldiaries

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So, while they might not be the most reliable option in an emergency, this trend is a heartwarming reminder of the love we have for our partners’ unique quirks. And that, perhaps, is the reason why netizens would still like you to call them.

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