6 x life-threatening challenges on TikTok
When it comes to TikTok, I am very inexperienced. In other words: I have an account, but I never use it. I have no idea why not actually, it just doesn't attract me that much. Maybe it's those moving and busy images that make me a bit restless. But anyway, today I really delved into TikTok (in response to a number of intense news reports) and I was truly shocked by what I saw. In those news reports, I read that there are quite dangerous challenges circulating among young people and that TikTok therefore needs to take new safety measures. Well, I can tell you: those challenges indeed go very far. From ‘skull-breaker challenges’ to ‘blackout challenges’; I have seen the most bizarre things come by. So it is more than justified that the safety of this platform for young people is being tightened. Alexandra Evans, head of safety policy at TikTok, says the following about this: ‘We have new technology that can alert us faster to a sudden increase in videos that violate our rules. This allows us to better counter potentially dangerous behavior.’ Well, that seems like a reassuring thought for the parents of young TikTok users.
Hereby I share the most bizarre TikTok challenges.
1. The Skull-Breaker Challenge
This life-threatening stunt is also known as the ‘tripping jump challenge’. In this challenge, which you do with three people, an unsuspecting person is tackled hard in the middle, causing them to crash hard to the ground with their head. Several children have ended up in the hospital due to this ridiculous challenge. Doctors warn that this challenge is truly life-threatening. This is just too bizarre for words?
2. The Blackout Challenge
Another grim one. In this challenge, people choke themselves for as long as possible while filming themselves. Young people have even died from this challenge. How far can you go for likes? Fortunately, this challenge is now untraceable on TikTok.
3. The Fire Challenge
From the name of this challenge, you can already tell that this is bad news and it's even dumber than you think. Participants extinguish a part of their body with a flammable liquid. They then set that part on fire and record the effects, which often lead to first or second-degree burns. Thanks to this challenge, videos of severely burned teenagers can be found all over the internet. Yuck, how awful.
4. The Outlet Challenge
In this challenge, the idea is to partially insert a smartphone charger into the outlet, leaving some space open. In that space, you then have to touch the prong(s) of the charger with a coin to create a spark. Mega dangerous again, of course. Fortunately, there have been no injuries from this challenge yet, but it won't be long before that happens, as the consequences are already getting out of hand. Several fires have already occurred in school buildings.
5. The Snorting Challenge
For this disgusting challenge, you have to snort a strange object (usually a condom) through your nose and then pull it out of your mouth. When this challenge goes wrong, it can lead to infection or damage to the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. In the worst case, it can even lead to choking. Why do people do this again?
6. The Tide Pod Challenge
Last but not least: the challenge to eat a laundry tablet. Yep, those colored cubes you wash your clothes with. I don't think I need to explain that this is not very good for your health. Man oh man, where is the world going?
