On social media you may have seen discussion around the ‘tea time alarm’. It’s an alarm that many claim goes off at 4pm across the UK, and it when it does, every citizen must drink tea.
While Brits have been chuckling behind their screens, some Americans seem to have genuinely bought into the notion as an increasing number of UK residents post elaborate stories about when they ‘missed the tea time alarm’. TikTok creator ‘The Chonky Mermaid’ made a video about when she got “caught out during the tea alarm”, and in the comments thousands of Brits shared similar stories or ‘warnings’ to others.
“Remember tea alarm fines go up from April,” reads one comment.
“I don’t think you’re allowed to film the alarm, not being funny but just trying to look out for you,” said another.
A popular comment read: “Worst feeling ever when you have to leg it into the nearest shop/house and beg for a cup.”
Others made up stories of the ‘tea time alarm’ going off when the clap for the NHS happened during lockdown, apps that remind you about the alarm and having to carry around a stamp book.
It all started when a few Americans heard about a ‘tea time alarm’ and asked Brits if was real, to which, of course, everyone said yes.
On TikTok, an American woman asked her audience: “I need to know the truth, I’m probably gonna sound like the biggest idiot, but I have been scrolling and I have seen conflicting stories. What’s the deal with the tea time alarms? Is it a real thing? Is it just a big joke on us Americans?”
Unsurprisingly, the comments reassured her that the tea time alarm is in fact very real.
“Brit here born and bred Londoner. I’m Muslim currently taking part in Ramadan. I’ve had to pay a tea time exemption fee for this month due to fasting,” read one comment.
Another said: “It’s only enforceable if you are registered with the TeaVLA, but nearly everyone is because of the Tea License.”
The woman made a follow up video saying: “I’m not gonna lie, you guys had me for a minute. It’s comments like these that made me think, okay, that makes sense. This must be a real thing.
“But then I kept reading the comments and I realised, nope, joke’s on me.”
Even councils have got in on the joke, with Waltham Forest Council creating a TikTok showing a “day in the life of me working as part of the council’s tea alarm team.”