We’ve all heard of mukbang videos, the live streams of people shovelling food into their mouths. Now, a similar trend is emerging on TikTok, with some users live-streaming their sleep – and even making money out of it.
An 18-year-old TikTok user with 348,000 followers called Brian Hector told the Economic Times that he just hits live stream, places his phone on his bedside table, and then lets people tune in to watching him sleep at night. They even pay him for the privilege, buying in-app coins and then sending gifts, which can be converted into TikTok diamonds and downloaded back into real cash via PayPal.
He told the Economic Times: “I woke up the next morning and ended the live and went over to my mom and was like, ‘Mom, I literally just made money falling asleep’.”
Often, TikTokers will announce they’re going to do a sleep live stream ahead of time, to let viewers know to tune in. “I’ve seen so many people start doing it,” Hector said. “The first time I saw it I thought it was honestly the weirdest thing but also the coolest thing.”
Compared to some of the other TikTok videos that have been making headlines, this could be the least controversial. Recently, a video of a girl going to Planned Parenthood to get an abortion sparked controversy online, while last year, a Brazilian teen live-streamed his suicide.
