Social media star destroys expensive phone with syrup to make point about screen time
A social media influencer just poured an entire bottle of maple syrup over her $1,000 iPhone – while filming it with another phone.
The Sticky Situation
The bizarre protest happened Tuesday morning at a packed Los Angeles coffee shop, leaving customers stunned and staff scrambling for paper towels.
Sarah Chen, who has over 2 million TikTok followers, walked into Blue Bottle Coffee carrying two phones and a large bottle of premium maple syrup.
What happened next left everyone wondering if she had lost her mind – or if she was making a brilliant point about our addiction to screens.
Not Her First Controversial Stunt
Chen is known for her outspoken views against excessive social media use, despite building her career on these platforms.
Last month, she made headlines for spending 72 hours blindfolded to show how much we rely on visual technology.
"People thought I was crazy then too," Chen told her followers. "But sometimes you need to do something dramatic to wake people up."
The Sweet Message Behind the Madness
As other customers recorded the scene, Chen calmly placed her iPhone 14 Pro Max on a table.
She then delivered a short speech about how phones have become "sweeter than crack" to our brains.
"We're all addicted, and we know it. But we just keep scrolling, like ants drawn to spilled sugar."
The Sticky Truth Revealed
What most observers didn't realize until later: the "destroyed" phone was actually a non-working display model she bought on eBay for $50.
The real message wasn't about destroying technology – it was about getting attention for a bigger cause.
Chen revealed she's launching a new app that helps people track and reduce their screen time. The syrup stunt has already brought in 50,000 new subscribers.
Critics call it a clever marketing ploy. Supporters say it doesn't matter – as long as it gets people thinking about their phone habits.
Either way, the cafe's manager confirmed one thing: Chen stayed behind to clean up every last drop of syrup herself.
