In Britain, quirky traditions have long been a source of confusion for people from other countries.
From the peculiar habit of queuing to our constant apologizing, there’s no shortage of cultural habits that leave foreigners scratching their heads.
But recently, one trend related to the nation’s beloved tea-drinking culture has really left Americans utterly perplexed—and it’s all thanks to the viral ‘tea time alarm.’
What is the Tea Time Alarm Trend?
The trend began as a playful joke on TikTok, with British users pretending there’s an official “tea time alarm” that signals when it’s time for a cup of tea.
The mock alert has become an inside joke, poking fun at the country’s unshakable tea-drinking habits.
The idea is that this fictional alarm goes off, prompting everyone to immediately stop what they’re doing and brew a cup of tea.
The UK Government even got involved, sharing a video with its TikTok followers showing a supposed ‘national tea alarm button,’ which quickly racked up almost 800,000 views.
American Confusion Over the Tea Time Alarm
For many Americans, this lighthearted British trend has sparked a lot of confusion.
One American TikTok user, Brandy, posted a video asking several questions in response to the trend.
“When the tea time alarm goes off, if you’re in the bathroom or you’re walking around on the street, what do you do?” she wondered.
“Do you go to a friend’s house? Do you go to a café? Do you keep some in your backpack?” To make matters worse, a British TikTok user joked that when the alarm sounds, you just head to the nearest building where tea is always ready, and it’s illegal for them to refuse you a cup.
Famous Brits Join in the Fun
British celebrities are also having fun with the trend. Rochelle Raye Anthony, a runner-up on The Apprentice, teased, “Have you never traveled outside of America?” when addressing American confusion about the tea alarm.
The hosts of This Morning, Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, also played along with the joke, filming a segment in which they nearly got caught out by the fictitious alert.
Even the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) joined in by sharing a lighthearted video of their rescue team, quipping, “In 201 years of the RNLI, we’ve never missed a tea alarm.”
The Tea Time Alarm Goes Viral
The viral trend has inspired all sorts of creative spins.
Heinz Beans joined the fun, asking on X (formerly Twitter), “Anyone fancy a custard beanz for the tea time alarm today?” Meanwhile, TikTok users began creating fake accounts under the name TVLA (TeaVLA), a pun on the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, warning people to obey the “tea time alarm” to avoid fines.
Extreme Examples of the Trend in Action
The trend even led to some extreme reactions, as people across the UK rushed to make their tea in some very unexpected locations.
At the Eden Project in Cornwall, two thrill-seekers, Karis Lawer and Martin Kelly, filmed themselves preparing a cup of tea just before they went ziplining.
With the fictional tea alarm ringing, they raced to make tea before their adventure.
“It’s normal for every British person to have at least three cups a day,” Kelly explained, adding that the alarm is so ingrained in British culture that it goes off without most people even noticing.
A Nation United by Tea
The trend may have started as a joke, but it highlights the nation’s deep connection to its tea-drinking habits.
As Lawer put it, “Tea is already something we have daily, so to make a video pretending that there’s an alarm that goes off for us to have tea is such an easy thing to do. It’s so effective.”
It’s clear that for many Brits, tea is not just a drink—it’s a way of life, and the tea time alarm, whether real or not, has brought the country together in a shared moment of humor.
So, next time you hear about a “tea time alarm,” just know that it’s all in good fun, and don’t be afraid to make yourself a cup of tea anywhere—it’s what we do best.