It’s a creepy trend that has led to a police probe, a wave of complaints and even an arrest. Videos typically feature young women on nights out in town, intoxicated and sometimes in vulnerable situations. They appear to be seemingly unaware they are being watched and recorded by social media users looking to share their videos to the biggest audience possible.
Social media platforms have periodically attempted to clamp down on so-called ‘nightlife’ videos filmed in Manchester city centre.
Those videos are continuing to flood the internet – with dozens of clips posted on Facebook in recent weeks. One ‘Manchester nightlife’ account on Facebook, seen by the Manchester Evening News, has amassed a whopping 1.8 million followers – including many who are seemingly content to have their names visible as a fan of the content. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter
Other smaller accounts dedicated to sharing the footage include one with more than 33,000 followers and another with 13,000 followers. A dedicated Facebook group, where users can also share their own footage and images, also has more than 354,000 members.
Bizarrely, one page features several images which appear to have been created using artificial intelligence (AI). The images are supposed to show women on a night out in Manchester – particularly around Deansgate – with some posing for the camera and others.
It’s unclear whether the images are based on pictures of real women to begin with. The M.E.N. has pixelated the faces in the examples above to protect any identities which may have been used to produce the image.
Misspelt shop signs on the street, cars which don’t appear to be real and the composition of the images all provide clues that the pictures were made with AI – yet the comments sections suggest those who view the images have failed to realise it. The same account shows real video footage, with women who are not aware they are being filmed.
Users of the pages and groups form a network which regularly descends into misogyny. Comments underneath some of the clips shared include ‘Red Light district?’, ‘English dumplings’ and ‘Is it the Weight Watchers convention?’.
Other comments are too vulgar to be repeated, including multiple sexual remarks about the women who unknowingly feature in the videos. It’s unclear whether the videos are new, or recycled from previous posts online.
Some clips also appeared to be filmed in other UK cities, including Leeds and Liverpool, but captioned as if they are from Manchester. One page featured several clips showing couples kissing or having intimate moments.
Other clips appeared to show women struggling while intoxicated, including one who had difficulty getting up from the ground. The M.E.N. has shared its latest findings with Meta, the owner of Facebook. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
Hannah O’Donoghue-Hobbs, founder of the January 92 social media consultancy firm in Manchester, previously told the M.E.N. of her concerns over how ‘online chatter can escalate’. “Platforms prioritise whatever keeps people commenting and sharing, and unfortunately that often means controversy and moral judgement,” she said.
“When videos of young women on nights out circulate widely, they’re pulled into algorithmic echo chambers where sexualised and hostile comments are repeated and normalised. The danger is that this online behaviour doesn’t stay online. It can encourage harassment, reinforce harmful narratives and expose individuals to real world risks, all while shifting the focus away from platform responsibility and digital behaviour, and onto how young women choose to dress.”
The M.E.N. first began reporting on the creepy ‘Manchester nightlife’ trend in 2022. Accounts sharing such videos were later removed by TikTok, before the M.E.N. reported on clips being shared on YouTube in 2024.
After initially failing to take action, the Google-owned platform removed multiple accounts for breaching the platform’s rules earlier this year. GMP launched a criminal investigation after receiving a slew of reports from women affected by the trend in 2024.
A man was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism and harassment in November that year, but earlier this year the criminal investigation came to an end due to limitations with current legislation. The force has since explored civil action alongside Manchester council.
Behind the scenes, authorities have been taking steps to boost women’s safety during nights out. More than 600 businesses have signed up to Manchester council’s Women’s Night-time Safety Charter, while the WalkSafe+ app allows people to share their journeys with trusted contacts and report any concerns in the city.
The #IsThisOk? campaign and GMP’s Operation Safer Streets have also challenged and tackled predatory behaviour across the region. “Predatory behaviour is completely unacceptable, and tackling this has been a priority for our night time economy policing operation,” Superintendent Nicola Williams, of GMP City of Manchester, previously said.
She added: “We are committed to ensuring nights out are safe for everyone and encourage anyone who is subjected to unwanted behaviour to report this to us. We will listen, you will be believed, and we will investigate all lines of enquiry.”