What is bone smashing on Tikok? Dangerous trend of shaping face with hammers

Bone smashing is a trend slowly taking over TikTok. It sees people using hammers or other hard objects to break the bones in their faces and change their face shapes. Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial trend.

TikTokers are no strangers to weird or even dangerous trends. From drinking Borax for “health reasons” to an AI health filter that reportedly can detect illnesses, these types of trends are some of the most popular on the app.

One of the newer health trends on the app focuses more on appearances, as users are hitting their faces with hammers to try to change their face shape.

But how does it work and where did it start? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the ‘bone smashing’ trend on TikTok?

In this emerging trend seen on TikTok, the bone is deliberately broken in order to provide an aesthetically attractive look, such as larger cheekbones or chin.

This baffling trend has already amassed more than 260.4 million views on TikTok and sees thousands of people purportedly participating in bone-smashing and sharing the outcomes. Bottles, massagers, and even hammers are some of the items utilized in the videos to achieve a more chiseled appearance.

Some people posted their results, including before and after photos that viewers are supposed to assume were obtained by breaking their own facial bones.

Does ‘bone smashing’ even work?

Bone smashing is a difficult process since symmetrical outcomes need a lot of pressure and precision.

The practice first came about by 19th-century German surgeon and anatomist Julius Wolff’s Law, which states that bones heal themselves after stress.

Despite this theory, it is not advisable to smash bones because there is no medical basis for its effectiveness, the Evening Standard reports.

Even though human bones are able to adjust to any circumstance — a broken bone will even become considerably stronger than it was before after it heals — the research supporting bone smashing is almost nonexistent. But this hasn’t stopped it from becoming popular.

Another big risk with bone smashing is that nobody could ever consistently exert enough pressure on their faces to increase bone density. Repetitive trauma may even damage or irritate nerves, whilst excessive trauma could result in fractures and permanent disfigurement.

Face smashing is far from the only controversial trend to go viral on TikTok. Check out our list of some of the most dangerous or controversial trends that have gone viral on the app.