Timpview journalism students Jillian Freedman, Jojo Boots, and Jane Collins came up with the idea for a “kiss cam” at the Homecoming football game on September 27. As Freedman created the poster board and walked in the student section, fellow students faces lit up with excitement. Friday night was about to get crazy.

The kiss cam was rolling all night and most kids were ecstatic to be a part of it. Collins filmed the kisses, and later posted the long, edited video on TikTok, where it currently (10/3/24) has 82K likes and 590K views. The comments are roaring with “Please do this again”, “ I can’t stop watching”, and “I wish my school would do this.”

The girls arrived to the game early and started filming the students. Many people declined it, saying no or walking away. Many of the students who did agree felt uncomfortable and pressured by the camera and hundreds of students watching. This sparks some controversy as it felt forced for many which is evident in the video. While many were excited to participate and get filmed, this idea of a “kiss cam” had negative effects on some students. It was believed that it enabled students and “gave them permission” to kiss whoever they wanted, which is a problem.

One student claimed that she got licked without consent because another student was prompted by the “kiss cam”. A different student was attempting to kiss girls in the student section which created a really uncomfortable environment and took away from the fun of it.

The kiss was an invitation for many, whether or not that is considered good or bad. On one end, it was very positive and contributed to a lot of energy in the student section, but on the other end it had a negative effect and left people feeling awkward. This has inspired many people and some have expressed excitement for future games because of the “kiss cam”.  With everything that it entails, should the “kiss cam” continue?