This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: If you live in Los Angeles and own a Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima or one of 18 other models from these vehicle lines, UCLA anthropologist Jeffrey Brantingham has some advice: Get a steering wheel locking device, take advantage of manufacturer recalls or trade your car in for one with an engine immobilizer. Your ride, Brantingham said, is vulnerable to even the lowest-skilled auto thief—at least until 2042.
Brantingham has studied car theft for two decades and recently led an interdisciplinary team looking at the factors behind the surge in thefts of Kias and Hyundais that began in 2020. The surge started in several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, and eventually spread nationwide. Their recent study published in the International Journal of Forecasting, "Forecasting the impact of the viral 'Kia Boys' social media trend on car thefts to 2050," found that the rise in thefts is due to an interplay of complex factors.
While social media trends amplified the crime spree, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, production decisions made by car manufacturers and traditional print and cable news coverage were significant initial factors. The anthropological study leverages ideas from foraging ecology, social learning and criminology, as well as methods from mathematical modeling and computer science. Using models and data from the Los Angeles Police Department, Brantingham and his colleagues predict the surge in thefts will continue in Los Angeles through at least 2042, and likely through 2050.
The research provides a better understanding of the role that social media plays in offline crime and advises people on how to protect themselves and their property. From 2011 to 2022, Kia and Hyundai left out engine immobilizers in 20 car models. Engine immobilizers are standard anti-theft equipment in most cars; without them, theft is a relatively "low-skilled" crime.
During the pandemic—when cars were left for long periods on the street and young people had more unstructured time due to school and business closures—even the most inexperienced car thief had time to experiment and learn to steal these vehicles, easily dismantling the steering wheel casing, exposing the starter and turning the ignition with a simple USB cable. YouTube and TikTok videos soon emerged—tagged "Kia Boys" or "Kia Challenge"—that amplified the criminal activity and provided step-by-step instructions on how to carry out the thefts. Yet even without the explicit instructions, Brantingham said, viral videos showing "Kia Boys" joyriding in stolen vehicles were enough to tell "naïve" car thieves that the models were easy to steal within a few minutes.
Social media can be good at creating experts when the skill needed is relatively low, he noted. The research suggests that traditional print media and cable news also played a key role in the uptick in thefts of these vulnerable cars. The evidence from Los Angeles indicates that the vulnerability was initially discovered without the help of social media.
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