A Guide to Children’s Culture for Adults Without a Connection to the World Around Us: “The Dusting Challenge”
This week’s Out-of-Touch guide is represented by the “M” for misinformation. We’ve got TikTok challenges that probably don’t exist, student loan hacks that definitely won’t work, and bacon-and-avocado meme videos that have nothing to do with food, all designed to illuminate the dark chasm between what adults think is going on and what’s actually happening. So grab a flashlight and let’s get to it!
TikTok Tips for Getting Rid of Student Loans
If your college-aged child thinks they’ve found a cool trick to avoid paying student loans, they haven’t. There are tons of videos like this one that claim to show “one cool trick” to avoid paying the money the government lends for education. Two of those four tricks simply won’t work. The other two might , but the cure might be worse than the disease.
Disputing Student Loan Charges : You can dispute your student loan debt (or any other debt) with the credit bureaus. The bureaus may temporarily remove the debt from your report until the dispute is resolved, but you’ll have to continue paying during the dispute period, and you’ll almost certainly lose. The loan will then reappear on your credit report.
Filing a Privacy Report: Some argue that DOGE’s recent activities violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and that loan holders can use the violation to pay off their student debt. They can’t, and there was (probably) no FERPA violation. A lawsuit is underway to determine whether DOGE violated the Privacy Act of 1974, but FERPA applies to schools that distribute personal information, not federal agencies. As Andrew Miltenberg, who defends college students as a partner at Nesenoff and Miltenberg, put it : “It’s a complete fiction that at this point in time you can get your loans forgiven for violating FERPA.”
Never Leave School : Since the repayment schedule for subsidized federal student loans doesn’t begin until six months after you graduate, you could theoretically continue to go to school at least half-time and not pay anything back. It’s legal, but it requires committing to an entire lifestyle, and if you continue to borrow to continue your education, you’re continuing to lock yourself into further education. And what has education ever done for anyone?
Just not paying back the debt : This is not recommended as it will kill your credit score, but they can’t throw you in jail, you know? At least not yet.
Why does everyone say “Avocado with bacon”?
If you’ve been hearing your kids say “bacon, avocado” lately, don’t be alarmed. It’s not a new drug or sexual practice. They’re also not planning on making you a sandwich. Bacon, avocado is a harmless meme that’s been trending on TikTok. It’s a bait-and-switch video format that works like this: You post a video promising to say “bacon, avocado” as soon as possible. Then you slow it down to reveal a different message.
Secret words can be any advice:
To the personal ad:
to random vulgarity:
If you want to see more, there are plenty of videos about bacon and avocado here .
What is a Dusting Call?
If you hear your child talking about the “Dust Challenge,” you should be alarmed, but you probably won’t hear them talking about it. Like many media reports of “dangerous online challenges” going viral, it’s the hysteria that “goes viral,” not the challenge. Like most reports of online dangers, it’s a mixture of tragedy and misinformation. Tragedy: On June 1, 19-year-old Renna O’Rourke of Arizona died of “sudden death syndrome from inhaling computer dust spray to get high.” Misinformation: Media sources say the death was part of a “TikTok trend” or “online trend” called the “Dust Challenge.”
While some sources report that “Dusting Challenge” videos are getting “ millions of views ,” I can’t find any such videos on TikTok. There are reprinted news reports about “dusting challenges on TikTok,” but no videos of kids doing something called “Dusting Challenge” or encouraging each other to inhale computer cleaning spray. Plus, TikTok is quick to block harmful content these days, so calling something “The XXXX Challenge” is no longer relevant. A more realistic view: Kids have always sniffed things to get high (spray paint, airplane glue, etc.), it’s dangerous and stupid, but kids do dangerous and stupid things without a social media campaign encouraging it.
What does IVEL mean?
There’s a new acronym trending in TikTok comment sections this week. IWEL stands for “I would not lie.” Another option: IWL, or “I would not lie.” So, “IWEL” is in. “No cap” is out.
It’s interesting how many youth slang words are meant to convey the idea of truth – bezhatki, bezdykhany, etc. – as if in response to the misinformation spread everywhere and by everyone.
More broadly, IWEL is the latest “internet-only” acronym that includes classics like “LOL” (laugh out loud) and newer entries like YWLTSMHBYC (you will live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension). Okay, kids don’t really use that last one, but they should.
(If you need more definitions of modern slang, check out my glossary: Aura Farming, Huzz, and Other Gen Z and Alpha Slang You May Need Deciphered. )
Viral Video of the Week: Black Widow vs. Venus Flytrap
Unlike the dubious tests and fake hacks above, this week’s viral video delivers exactly what it promises: clean results. The problem with many hot-button internet questions is that they can’t be ethically tested — who wants to have “ 100 people vs. 1 gorilla ?” That’s what makes YouTuber TerraGreen’s insect-focused videos so satisfying. In “Black Widow vs. Venus Flytrap ,” he takes the age-old debate over venomous spiders and carnivorous plants and settles it with real-life experiments. As a bonus, he also tests flies and crickets against cheap flytraps against expensive ones. Spoiler: it ends exactly as expected — the black widows are trapped and digested by the flytraps. It’s not like the spider’s venom has any effect on plants. But ultimately, any excuse for footage of flytraps eating spiders is good enough.