11-Year-Old Boy In Viral TikTok Looking For Friends Has Message For Bullies

When 11-year-old Shayden Walker knocked on his neighbor’s door looking for friends, he couldn’t have known that he would become an internet sensation. He probably didn’t even know he was being filmed during such a vulnerable moment, to be honest. The young Texas native, wearing his little Jaws T-shirt and his brave heart on his sleeve, was simply looking for some kids to hang out with. “I really need some friends,” he told his neighbor, who recorded the conversation on his Ring security camera. And now that the video has reached so many people, Shayden has a message he wants to share with bullies. As someone who was bullied, but also (and this is the part that is exceptionally brave) as a reformed bully himself.

Shayden knocked on the door of his neighbors, Brennan and Angell Ray, looking for friends earlier this month. “I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around, like, 11 or 12 maybe,” he told Brennan in a video shared on TikTok, who spoke to the boy through the camera system. “Because I need some friends. Like, really bad.”

When Brennan responded that there were some kids down the street, Shayden answered, “Well, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me. They keep bullying me.” He went on to ask if Brennan had any kids, and when he said he had a 2-year-old, Shayden got excited. “I actually love 2-year-olds, to be honest. They are just the most cutest things I’ve ever known.”

The two went on to chat for a while before Shayden left. And Brennan Ray shared the video online with his wife to help Shayden get some friends. “Honestly, we posted it to get, like some friends for him… We had no idea it would reach worldwide or nationwide, so the fact it’s gone all over the world is crazy,” Angell Ray told KTLA.

The couple went on to start a GoFundMe page for Shayden, raising nearly $40,000 for the young boy. But for his part, he really just wanted some friends. And wanted to share a message with bullies out in the world.

“If you’re a bully, just know that I’m not mad at you, I’m just disappointed in you,” the thoughtful boy told KTLA. “And if you are not a bully, please do not become a bully. I speak from experience. I have been a bully once, but I learned from that mistake, and I hope that people who have never been a bully, just don’t become one, please. It is a world full of heartbreak.”

Shayden Walker did more than just go viral when he knocked on a neighbor’s door looking for friends. He reminded everyone that being vulnerable and honest is always the way. Even if it means admitting to things you wish hadn’t happened.