Imagine how many times you heard the phrase “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” when you were growing up. How many times have you said that to your own children?
Imitating dangerous behavior is something we try to protect our kids from as parents, but it seems the internet has presented some new challenges..
Since its invention, the internet has changed the way we access knowledge, communicate, make decisions, shop, date, travel, bank and even search for jobs. But there is a darker element too.
Parents have learned of the hazards of cyber bullies, con artists, kidnappers and pedophiles. Another threat to our youth now comes in the form of “internet challenges,” encouraging the young “Cleatus B. Dangerous” to follow his friends off that proverbial bridge.
Accepting those challenges can result in serious consequences.
Back in my day the Evel Knievels used television to inspire plenty of death-defying stunts that resulted in more than a few broken bones, scrapes and concussions. Today, internet challenges are popping up on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat postings every few months, and seem to center around some peculiar task that is guaranteed to fail — and result in potential injury — as they are recorded for subsequent social media posting.
This new trend of internet challenges has gone from pointless and awkward to life-threatening, as kids today come up with more and more dangerous ways to injure themselves.
Many accept and then post these challenges with the hopes of becoming an internet sensation, while others are merely trying to get liked or re-tweeted among their social media followers.
A lot of the challenges are food-based and actually seem harmless at first. But the truth is that people are injured, some end up in the hospital and others have died as a result of some of these outlandish stunts.
As a parent, little did I think that I would have tell our kids to not inhale a teaspoon of cinnamon or consider setting themselves on fire, but it appears I do.
Police and fire departments have attempted to address the issue by occasionally issuing public warnings about the dangers of certain stunts, urging the public to refrain from sharing the videos. Facebook and Youtube will voluntarily delete inappropriate materials when made aware of them.
Unfortunately once an internet challenge reaches the viral status, many of our kids have either tried it or know somebody who has already taken the challenge before we can prevent it. Once a challenge is in wide circulation, it’s probably already too late.
One example of a recent internet stunt to make the rounds was the duct tape challenge, which involves wrapping tape around someone and seeing how long it takes to escape. It may seem innocent enough, but in reality, people were injuring themselves as they struggle to get free, losing their balance and falling without being able to break the fall. One teen in Washington fell forward, striking his head on the corner of a window and now may lose his vision.
Here are some other more well-known — and dangerous — internet challenges:
— The Pass Out Challenge: To attain a high, choke yourself (or have a friend do it) until your airway is blocked and you receive a high. The obvious danger is that cutting oxygen from the brain can result in losing consciousness, brain damage, and even death in some situations. According to a Washington Post report, surveys have found that 5 to 10 percent of middle schoolers have played the choking game.
Estimates of the number of choking game fatalities vary widely — 2008 CDC report put the number of deaths at 82 over the course of 12 years; GASP (whose name is an acronym for “games adolescents shouldn’t play,” counted more than 600 in the same period. Additionally, many asphyxiation deaths that may have been accidental are ruled suicides — unless parents and police are somehow aware of the choking game, they’re likely to assume that the death was intentional.
— Fire Challenge: This involves dousing themselves with isopropyl alcohol and igniting yourself with match and to quickly extinguish themselves in the shower or swimming pool. The hazards of doing this challenge are pretty obvious and many people who have taken this challenge have received second and third degree burns which can lead to death.
— The Cinnamon Challenge: This involves ingesting a spoonful of cinnamon in 60 seconds without drinking anything and then uploading a video to the internet. The result is usually a fit of gagging and coughing clouds of cinnamon. Some performing the stunt seem to gasp for air and even vomit. However this seemingly silly challenge is more dangerous than it seems. Since cinnamon coats and dries the mouth and throat, it can lead to throat irritation, breathing difficulties, collapsed lungs and even the risk of pneumonia.
— Marshmallows Chubby Bunny Challenge: This is another food based challenge that has proven to be occasionally fatal. The innocently named challenge requires the participant to stuff marshmallows into the mouth without chewing or swallowing and repeat the phrase “chubby bunny.” If any participant gags, coughs, or spits they are “out” of the game. The winner is the one who manages to utter the expression through the largest number of marshmallows. Chubby bunny has caused people to die from suffocation.
— Condom Challenge: There are two versions of this challenge, the first involves inserting a condom in your nostril and inhaling it, allowing it to go through your nasal cavity and into your throat, where you will presumably cough it out. The danger is the risk of choking when inhaling a condom. The other version involves getting a water-filled condom dumped onto your head, engulfing the skull and potentially choking or drowning.
— Ghost Pepper Challenge: Also known as bhut jolokia, it is the hottest pepper in the world. The challenge involves sticking the pepper in your mouth and then your friends record your reaction. Apart from the excruciating pain caused by eating a ghost pepper, some may have a bad reaction, such as vomiting or nausea. In the most extreme cases, the challenge can result in a trip to the hospital.
— Salt & Ice Challenge: This one involves pouring salt on a body part, then placing an ice cube on the area while withstanding the pain as long as you can. The danger is that salt causes ice to lower its freezing temperature. The mixture takes in heat from its surroundings, including skin it is in contact with, creating frostbite-like injuries.
Some teenagers have been admitted to the hospital with second degree burns, which can take months to recover from.
— Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge: This challenge involves people attempting to sport and mimic the cosmetic styling of Kylie Jenner’s enhanced plump pout. People put their lips inside small glasses or bottle openings and suck in, increasing blood flow and swelling the lips, resulting in bruising and scarring.
They say that teens today spend an average of six hours a day on online. By the time you have finished reading this, some teenager will have created a new challenge to try to achieve internet stardom. Many parents assume that their kid would never do such idiotic thing, but between peer pressure and the help of social media, many will accept the crazy and dangerous challenges.
As parents, many of us forget how inexperienced and immature we were when we were younger and how easily we were influenced by outside sources. It’s best to keep up an open dialogue about peer pressure with your kids and stay mindful and up to date on these types of viral challenges.
Be sure to talk to your teen and their friends about the reality of long-term effects of these dangerous stunts. Explain frankly that they can change their lives forever regardless of how many times your video is re-tweeted.
But remember, as commedian Ron White says, you can’t fix stupid.
Be Safe My Friends.
Keven Moore works in risk management services. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both the Lexington and Northern Kentucky offices. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.