Warn Your Kids About This Dangerous TikTok Challenge
It goes without saying that what is called “Skull Shattering Challenge” is not a good idea, but it doesn’t seem like it should be self-explanatory these days. So if you have teenagers or teenagers, it’s worth mentioning so that they don’t accidentally fall to the floor in a violent fall that could cause a concussion or worse.
I miss the innocent days of the Ice Bucket Challenge around 2014 when the worst thing we did was pour ice water over our heads to raise awareness of ALS. Now, in the latest viral social media challenge, two people trick a third person into thinking they are just queuing up and jumping up and down together. But when the person in the center jumps, people on either side of him confuse him in the air, knocking him back to the ground.
The problem appears to be on TikTok , but when you search the app for #skullbreakerchallenge now, you’re more likely to see a lot of messages from people pleading with others not to try it than messages about the giveaway itself. Much of this may be due to the fact that, according to a TikTok spokesman in a statement to NBC News , “The trend in question is a violation of our policies, so we remove content when it is reported.”
However, parents are turning to social media to warn others that this is happening and that their children have suffered concussions, passed out and, as a result, need everything from stitches to surgery. Thirteen-year-old Kathleen DeJesus, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, told NBC News that she suffered serious injuries after a rally held with her late last month:
“I thought, like, I feel like I’m going to die,” DeJesus said. “I was paralyzed. I fell, I had a concussion, I was numb, I could not feel my legs, feet, hands, nothing. “
Chances are, your older kids, especially if they are active on social media, have already heard of the Skull Breaker Challenge. But younger children may not know what it is, or suspect such a joke if a couple of classmates challenge them to an innocent-sounding jumping test. Just in case, it is worth warning.