United States Border Patrol agents pick up a pair of Canadian teenagers who had inadvertently entered the United States illegally while playing Pokemon GO.

Although Pokemon GO already warns users to be aware of their surroundings when playing the game, it seems as though a lot of players are ignoring this sound advice. The title is extremely engrossing for many players, so much so that one user playing while driving accidentally crashed into a cop car. Two Canadian teenagers, however, may have taken being immersed in the game to a whole new level.

This pair of teenagers accidentally crossed the Canada-United States border while playing the game. According to officials from the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, the duo were apprehended by US Border Patrol agents on Thursday night, after illegally entering the US. As it turns out, they were playing Pokemon GO at the time and had not realised that they had crossed into American soil.

According to the agency's public affairs officer, Michael Rappold, "both juveniles were so captivated by their Pokemon GO games that they lost track of where they were." Thankfully, the pair were able to be reunited with their mother, who was still on the Canadian side of the border, after they had been picked up near Sweet Grass, Montana.

With Canada only recently receiving Pokemon GO, there's every chance the teens were so engrossed with making up for lost time that they forgot all about the close border their town had with the States. Although it all had a happy ending this time, however, that's not to say the next accidental border crossing will be as light-hearted an affair. After all, not all land borders around the world - or even other borders with the US itself - are as friendly as the one between the United States and Canada.

This is far from the only case where Pokemon GO has distracted players from what was going on around them. As another example, a mother is blaming Pokemon GO after her daughter was hit by a car, urging parents to keep their kids away from the game entirely. Indeed, the dangers of Pokemon GO have already been very well documented, and users should perhaps take the time to truly think about how they should play the game.

Of course, some of these issues with the game are bound to be expected, given its status as not only the most popular augmented reality game of all time, but also the biggest mobile game in US history. Pokemon GO has forced users outside into the real world, and with so many millions of users around, there was always going to be plenty of stories about the game. Nonetheless, those near borders with other countries should perhaps think twice before letting Pokemon GO direct their movements.

Source: ABC News