Warning to parents as social media trend prompts children to explore derelict buildings
The social media trend makes exploring derelict sites look thrilling but experts warn of extreme dangers for young people
Children are being lured into dangerous derelict buildings and abandoned factories as a new trend for “urban exploring” grips social media.
Videos tagged #urbex have secured nearly 14 billion views on TikTok with experts warning young people’s safety is being put at risk.
New research shows that, as well as exploring, youngsters are also vandalising properties and setting fires.
Now, as the summer holidays begin, parents are being warned to beware of the dangers of the trend.
A search for #urbex and Scotland shows thousands of posts detailing crumbling buildings around the country that influencers claim are ripe for exploration.
José Rosa, of VPS, the company that commissioned the data, said: “A hashtag doesn’t warn a child about the hidden risks such as a collapsing floor, live electrics or asbestos.
“Every summer we see a spike in young people climbing into buildings that were never made safe for entry, and this year the online pull is stronger than ever.
“Property owners have a duty of care, and securing a site properly isn’t optional, it’s essential.”
In one Scottish video, self-styled explorers find the entrance to a derelict factory has been blocked by piles of bricks and sand.
Undeterred, they dig through the barricade to create a tiny gap to squeeze inside the building.
Other posts show young people exploring power plants, slaughterhouses, stately homes, schools, hospitals and care facilities.
The VPS research outlines that it can be extremely challenging for property owners to secure sites that have gone viral online.
There are several abandoned and derelict mental health hospitals in and around Glasgow that are popular sites for so-called #urbex videos.
The derelict Clune Park School in Port Glasgow is another commonly featured exploring spot, with issues also reported at the old Royal Hotel in Bridge of Allan.
Posts, pictures and videos detail urban explorers’ thrill at finding furniture and abandoned items inside the buildings or their struggles to gain access.
Mr Rosa said young people are seeing these videos and then almost immediately going to the sites to try to gain access themselves.
The report details hazards in these buildings including unstable roofs, open lift shafts, asbestos, live electrical wires, concealed voids and hazardous chemicals.
“The very aesthetic qualities that make abandoned buildings attractive to photographers and explorers – ruined ceilings, collapsed floors, decaying machinery – are indicators of the structural instability and contamination that make them so dangerous,” it says.
There have been several fatalities in the past five years - all in England - after people are injured in derelict properties.
Mr Rosa, Insights Director at the European temporary security specialist, added: “The data is stark: over 30 billion combined views of urban exploration content on TikTok alone, and a significant proportion of that audience is under 18.
“What’s changed is that social media doesn’t just reflect this trend, it actively drives it: a video posted today can send a group of teenagers to a specific derelict site tomorrow.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has repeatedly warned of wilful fire raising in derelict sites with nearly 150 derelict and unoccupied buildings set on fire in 2024.
School summer holidays are a known flashpoint, with trespass incidents on derelict sites and vacant buildings spiking every year once term ends.
The VPS research also argues that businesses and organisations should help ensure young people have activities to keep them away from the pull of exploring dangerous sites.
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