The latest viral challenge dubbed the ‘Skull Breaker Challenge’ is causing widespread concern.
The challenge originated in Spain after two students recorded themselves on TikTok performing the stunt.
The challenge involves two people in on the prank standing on either side of a third person who does not know what is about to happen. All three people stand in a straight line and are told to jump in the air. The person in the middle, who is, again, not aware of the challenge, jumps believing the other two will jump as well, but what they actually do is kick inward to knock the middle person off of their feet and onto their head.
The injury-inducing trend is gaining popularity on TikTok. Concerned parents and schools trying to warn children and teens by reposting the challenge making it even more widespread.
According to reports, at least two children in the United States have been hospitalized attempting the challenge.
A spokesperson for TikTok gave a statement to set the record straight, saying that this is not a TikTok-inspired trend. “The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok,” the spokesperson said. “As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do now allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, and we remove reported behaviour or activity that violates our guidelines.”
The cycle of viral memes and challenges is endless. While most are funny and harmless, some come along that are actually quite dangerous.
The year 2019 kicked off with the Bird Box Challenge that had people attempting all kinds of stunts like driving and walking while blindfolded.
As reported by The Sauce, the teen video-sharing app TikTok recently unveiled new safety measures that allow parents to control some aspects of their kid’s account.
