TikTok ‘pay off my debt’ trend goes viral in an attempt to erase student loans

TikTokers have banded together in an effort to erase student loans with a new viral ‘pay off my debt’ trend taking over the platform.

According to EducationData.org, as of 2023, the average U.S. student has a loan debt of approximately $37,338, with private students able to expect an additional $20,000 on top.

Not only is that a hefty debt for many, but the data goes on to show that even “20 years after entering school, half of the student borrowers still owe $20,000.”

Now, in an effort to help one another cut down on student loans, TikTok users are coming together with a new trend that aims to take advantage of the social media platform’s Creator Rewards Program.

The idea behind the ‘pay off my debt’ trend is for users to watch one another’s videos enough times for the original creator to go viral and make a hefty amount of money.

User Jake ‘jheisenburg‘ shared that he had “done the math” and determined he needed 247 million people to watch his video for five seconds to pay off his loan.

To qualify for TikTok’s program, however, videos need to be one minute long — a problem Jake solved by eating cereal in front of the camera as he didn’t have “that much content to offer.”

Viewers were quickly on board with Jake’s plan, with one user suggesting that all students “did this for each other,” claiming “It’s like a pyramid scheme but TikTok is paying the bill.”

Despite not hitting his goal in the end, Jake did amass over 25 million views and posted a follow-up video to share the results of his experiment.

“Did we pay off my student loans with one video? Well, no. No, we did not,” Jake admitted, sharing that the video ultimately made $4,200.

While it wasn’t enough to clear him of all debt, Jake stated that the video’s earnings were “more than I used to make at my old job in two months.” He added, “But since we technically didn’t accomplish our goal, unfortunately for you that means I have to keep making content.”

Nonetheless, Jake’s video sparked the ‘pay off my debt‘ trend, with more people taking to TikTok to go viral and help one another make a dent in their loans — even if that dent isn’t necessarily a significant one.

“Absolutely astounding — the camaraderie that has come from all of this,” Jake praised. “Not just for me but for other people. Congratulate yourselves, pat yourselves on the back.”