Posted on 17th March 2025
Thousands of British people on TikTok have been trying to convince Americans that there's an alarm mandating citizens to drop everything and grab a cup of tea at certain times of the day – or risk getting fined.
What began as a tongue-in-cheek joke has taken on a life of its own and turned into a creative playground for TikTok creators and brands.
We've pulled together a Shooglebox covering the origins of the trend and lots of examples of brands putting their own spin on it:
Netflix were one of the first major brands to jump on the trend, using a clip of a character making tea in The Haunting of Bly Manor to imagine what everyone in the UK does when the tea time alarm goes off.
Britain's Got Talent joked about the alarm going off during one of this year's auditions at the London Palladium. A panicked crew member shouted "stop!" when Simon Cowell was invited onstage to take part in yoga instructor Kranthi Drillman's blindfolded sledgehammer act.
Heathrow Airport have done a fake voiceover from the terminal building: "This is the UK's official tea time announcement. All airport services will pause temporarily while colleagues enjoy a mandatory tea break."
One American commented on their TikTok, "As an American, I wasn’t sure if you guys were joking or not but now I can see this is legit, can’t wait to experience my first teatime alarm in London next month."
Royal Mail posted that "Even posties have to adhere to the tea alarm", with this one showing a postman taking a break for Yorkshire Tea during a delivery.
Historic Royal Palaces charity put a medieval twist on the trend showing a "close call" for Yeoman Gaoler who almost missed the alarm going off at the Tower of London.
And Waltham Forest Council posted a "day in the life" style video of someone pretending to work in their tea alarm team. People in the comments of their TikTok have been coming up with their own stories about being fined by the so-called TVLA (Tea Vigilance and Licensing Authority) and even having to go on "awareness courses" for missing the alarm.
You can see these videos and more in this Shooglebox.
Buzz from Shooglebox helps major UK brands spot, understand and quickly respond to emerging TikTok trends, and tap into what their customers are seeing, saying and doing on social media.
