Illinois On June 7, the @Adventure.Boys217 Instagram account uploaded its debut video. The video, which lasted around 30 seconds, showed two lads with curly hair, Justin C. and Isaac, jumping on a trampoline in the rain and announcing that it was the first day of their goal to get 500 followers by the next summer.
Within the first three days of posting, the boys accomplished their goal and added a third Adventure Boy, Joe, to the mix. Justin P, another Adventure Boy, eventually joined them.
The account had more than 400,000 followers on Thursday, when they went to their first day of high school.
What specifically caused them to blow up the internet, then?
The Adventure Boys
and their summertime shenanigans
They constructed a fire and rode their bikes to the creek to fish, swim, and roast hot dogs. A kind elderly guy they met along the road gave them chain necklaces, which they wore to the park. They made their own slip-n-slides with soap and trash bags. (The attempt was good, but it didn’t work.)
They engaged in Nerf Gun and water balloon battles, performed trick shots from a basketball hoop on a closet door, played card games on the floor, and tore their clothes while longboarding on their stomachs. For ice cream, cheese curds, and backyard bacon ranch burgers, they visited Dairy Queen. Before plunging into the brook with obedient promises of “Send it!” Joe’s had onion rings on the side, but Justin P. had none.
The boys, who grew up in the same neighborhood, have been doing these things for years and have even recorded movies. The sole distinction is that, since it looked like a fun concept, they chose to begin posting them in June.
Social media accounts such as Wholesome Side of X contributed to the first surge in engagement by sharing one of their films on June 20. The post had 1.8 million views overall, 56,000 likes, nearly 5,000 reposts, and over 850 comments.
These children are deserving of an eternal summer break. I feel a sense of healing knowing that children continue to engage in such behavior. I adore it; it read.
It wasn’t their perfectly timed dancing steps, fit checks, or life hacks that made the Adventure Boys famous. Their content’s simplicity and ability to appeal to those priceless and bothersome tiny pings of nostalgia that only get stronger with time are what made them go viral.
The films bring back fond memories of Instagram’s early years, before newsfeeds were overrun with ads, and before the 2024 Oxford University Press Word of the Year, AI-generated crap, and brainrot.
According to Justin C., “I believe we went viral because a large portion of our audience is older people, and they responded that what we do is similar to what they did when they were kids, but they just didn’t have cameras.”
They claimed that the free goods was the finest aspect of going viral. Why wouldn’t it? Not only have fishing gear, electric bikes, and skateboards arrived, but packages of clothing and candies have also arrived like pennies from Silicon Valley heaven.
Professional athletes like Kyrie Irving, the point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, and artists like SZA, the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, have also left comments and followed each other.
And then there were two and then three again
On July 18, the account’s most recent video featuring Isaac was uploaded. In the days that followed, he created his own Instagram account and soon accumulated hundreds of followers.
Comments on both accounts were prompted by the abrupt breakup, with some people speculating about what caused the riff and others urging the boys to patch it up. While some Instagram users believed Isaac fled because of his domineering parents, others accused Justin C. and Joe of tormenting him.
The majority of 14-year-olds argue with their peers from time to time. They are rarely settled in an online piece or an Instagram arena with over 400,000 viewers.
But one thing is for sure: remarks that boldly assert that they know what’s actually happening between the boys are nearly always made by people who don’t know what’s actually happening between the boys.
They don’t know us, and neither do we. According to Justin C., they are merely commenting on what they believe to be true. They have little idea what is happening.
Brittney, Justin C.’s mother, is aware of both the positive and negative effects social media can have, particularly on teenagers.
“We’ve been guiding them,” she stated. We have made keeping them as safe as possible our first priority, but I don’t think either of us or they ever imagined that they would become widely known. However, now that it’s here, we simply need to ensure that we continue to act as parents.
Justin P. joined the group after Isaac left, announcing himself as the new camera guy in a video that was uploaded on July 24.
There s so much more outside than inside
Although the Adventure Boys have a sizable Instagram following, they dislike spending hours on social media. Instead of playing video games and scrolling through their phones alone, they wish more children their age went outside with their pals.
They stated it’s not that they don’t play video games. They do. The reason is that they don’t want to play them all day long.
While sitting in the sand close to the boys’ favorite spot at the creek, Justin C. remarked, “I think there are kids our age playing right now, and we’re outside having fun.” Playing the game while cooped up inside all day is not enjoyable.
Though they are unsure of what it might be, the lads plan to launch a business together in the future. Selling Adventure Boys apparel with messages urging people to get outside was Justin C.’s idea.
According to Justin P., there is a lot more outside than inside.
According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2024, the majority of teenagers use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube every day, with almost one-third of them claiming to use at least one of the five platforms almost constantly.
Christina, Joe’s mother, has been outside with him since he was a young child. They have played in the same creek that the boys now visit, hiked trails, and gone for walks.
According to Christina, you can encourage your kids to spend time in nature. I believe it’s critical to support and be there for them.
The parents of the boys are not aware of their whereabouts or activities, which is another issue raised by critics. However, Brittney and Christina stated that they closely monitor the boys through frequent check-ins and cell phone tracking.
Saying, “Okay, you’re going to ride your bike down here, and this is what you’re going to do, but stay in touch,” is difficult for mothers. “But I know it can happen because that’s how it was when I was younger,” she remarked.
With school starting, the guys are aware that it will be difficult to maintain regular posts, but they are willing to go above and beyond to make it work and continue to develop their following.
Joe stated, “I don’t want to stop, so we’re going to have to do planning as a group.” I’m enjoying myself immensely. I think this is the most enjoyable summer I’ve ever experienced.
