Nostalgic Google Maps trend taking over social media leaves users wanting to 'sob their eyes out'

A nostalgic Google Maps trend taking over social media and it has left users wanting to ‘sob their eyes out’.

The latest TikTok trend has got people in tears after people have begun searching for images of their childhood homes on Google Maps.

While the latest image on Street View might show the home as it is in a lot more recent times, people have been searching up historic photos taken.

One user was shocked to discover an image of their late grandparents at their house back in 2008.

And another even found their childhood dogs chasing after the Google Maps car in 2012.

Commenting on the trend, one user found it so emotional that they said they ‘cannot handle it’.

In a post, they wrote: “I cannot handle the Google Earth trend. Every video makes me want to sob my eyes out.”

How can you view historic Google Maps photos?

If you want to have a go at the trend for yourself, you’ll first need to access it through a desktop as it won’t work on mobile devices.

Type out your address in the search bar and hit search.

Switching to Street View, you’ll see an image of the home which will probably be the most recent one taken by Google.

However, in the black box that is located at the top of the screen, you’ll be able to see a link titled ‘see more dates’.

Clicking on this will take you to all of the photos Google has taken of the property over the years and it can be very nostalgic to see.

One TikToker said: “Somewhere on Google Earth my mom is still 40 getting back from a run while my siblings and I are biking down our hill.”

Another wrote: “Somewhere on Google Maps it is a sunny day in 2008 and both my grandparents are still alive and working on their yard together.”

A third person commented: “This Google Earth trend makes me the most emotional of any trend ever on this app.

“The sheer nostalgia of it all. The simplicity of reflecting on our past and a little moment captured forever that we didn't know we'd miss one day.

“It's really the ~living~ that's simply so special, almost more so than the big moments.”

James Stafford, who is the global head of content at TikTok, said: “Throughout 2024, TikTok continued to redefine how we discover, create and connect through the shared language of video.”