It’s 2017 and let’s face it: We don’t have much control anymore over the media our children are exposed to when we’re not watching over them. There are many Internet fads that we overhear our kids talking about with their friends, but the names of these fads sometimes don’t make sense and they blow right over our heads. There are “challenges” floating around online and while some of it is harmless fun, such as the bottle flipping challenge, others are more dangerous and pose a threat to our children’s safety. Read on and be aware of what your kids might be trying with their friends.
Backpack Challenge
Two rows of people line up and everyone holds a heavy backpack. One person tries to run through the rows without getting knocked down, but inevitably he or she is knocked down and can get hurt.
Kylie Lip Challenge
This one has been around for a little while, so you’ve probably heard of it. To look like Kylie Jenner, kids put shot glasses over their mouths and suck in so that their lips swell up. This represents the many pressures that girls feel to look like certain women in the media. It might be important to have a talk with your daughter about societal pressures on appearance. And on top of that, the challenge is dangerous. Shot glasses are not made of flexible glass. The glass can break from the pressure and cause dangerous cuts.
Choking/Pass-Out Challenge
The truth is that this game has been around for decades and continues to stay popular with each generation. If you don’t already know it, the choking game is when children choke each other or press on each other’s chest or hyperventilate until the person feels high or passes out. Children have died while playing this game.
Salt and Ice Challenge
This is a very dangerous challenge. When you put salt and ice together, the temperature of the ice can drop to lower than 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Kids put the ice and salt on their skin, and the challenge is to see who can withstand the pain of the frostbite for a longer period of time. Doctors say this can cause permanent damage to bone and muscle.
Blue Whale Challenge
This is perhaps the creepiest challenge of them all for the sake of its anonymity and what it asks of your kids. The blue whale challenge involves an anonymous “administrator” who gives the participant a different challenge every day for 50 days. The challenges typically involve self-harm, such as cutting. On the 50th day, the participant is supposed to commit suicide. Some people claim there have been suicides linked to this game, but that’s most likely not true. Still, this could be dangerous for at-risk kids who are thinking of harming themselves. Apparently, there have been blue whale challenge apps that appeared but then ultimately were removed. Be on the lookout that your child doesn’t have an app like this on his or her phone.
