Queensland Police say a young man who fell to his death from a Brisbane high-rise early this morning had been engaging in the new internet craze of "planking".

Planking, which involves a person lying face-down in strange and sometimes dangerous settings, then posting photos of their efforts on the internet, has made news in the past week with the arrest of a Gladstone man.

Police issued the 20-year-old with a court appearance notice on Tuesday night after he was discovered planking on a police car.

Today police said their fears had been realised with the death of a man attempting the new fad.

Shortly before 4.30am (AEST), a man in his early 20s plummeted from a unit block in Main Street, in inner city Kangaroo Point, and died at the scene.

Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said the man "may have fallen while attempting a planking episode".

He said the man was reportedly preparing to lie on a balcony rail when he fell.

Mr Barnett said the man and another person had been out during the night and had been planking in various spots on their way home.

"He has tragically lost his footing and fallen to the ground below," he said. "It is what we've been fearing.

"In some circumstances it can be fairly harmless, but as people become more and more competitive and try more and more obscure and difficult episodes of planking - which inevitably lead to greater levels of risk - then we remain concerned that this is the sort of thing that will eventuate and no-one wants to see that."

The deputy commissioner said participants can be charged if they plank in dangerous locations or if they trespass and urged people to reconsider before engaging in the activity.

"Once you start taking it up seven storeys or on top of a set of traffic lights, or on a set of railway lines... or on a bridge, anywhere that accentuates the risk and the daring, that obviously puts it into an area not only where it can be breaking the law, it more importantly is putting the person at significant danger."

- ABC/AAP