We did a lot of stupid sh*t growing up. But none of it quite compares to the dumb arse and deadly challenges circulating social media these days, including the new “skull breaking” TikTok challenge.
With a name like “skull breaking”, you know it’s not going to end well. And it’s already making headlines for causing serious injuries and even death.
What is the skull breaking TikTok challenge?
Essentially the challenge involves two people tricking a third person into jumping into the air and then kicking their feet out from under them. Also known as the Trip Jump Challenge, the person being tripped has a very good chance of landing on his skull.
Kids have been knocked unconscious and there have been reports of two deaths abroad.
What does TikTok have to do with it?
TikTok is a social media platform, similar to YouTube but it focuses on short user-uploaded video content only.
Kids these days love TikTok. It basically provides them with a place to watch video after video or share their videos to millions of TikTok users, all free of course.
So not only are kids doing this, but they are also recording it to upload onto TikTok. Why? For sh*ts and giggles, oh, and likes and heart emojis, I’d imagine.
‘Malicious cruel viral prank’
A mum in the UK recently posted pictures of her son in hospital after being the victim of the “skull breaking” challenge.
Valerie Hodson’s 12-year-old son Aiden was knocked unconscious while the two boys doing the challenge snickered and laughed. Aiden suffered from a head injury, stitches and severe cuts.
TikTok speaks out
A TikTok spokeswoman said, “The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok. We do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury and will remove any such reported content.”
However, the problem with social media apps like TikTok is that as one challenge gets taken down, another 50 can quickly pop up.
Other dangerous trends to be aware of
As parents, it’s important to be aware of these dangerous TikTok challenges. In fact, it’s important to be aware of TikTok and other apps like this. TikTok (which used to be Music.ly) and Kik come with some serious warnings.
We’ve touched on a few other dangerous social media app trends in the past that you may also want to familiarise yourself with:
- The laundry detergent challenge involves teens attempting to chew a laundry pod.
- The hiding craze challenge involves kids attempting to hide out in large stores like Ikea for as long as possible.
- The Momo challenge is one of the scariest ones out there as it dares kids into cutting and even killing themselves.
The best way to protect your kids from these challenges is to be aware of them, talk to them about it and make sure you know what they are doing online, on their tablets and on their phones.
If you need help, please contact one of these services.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Lifeline is a non-profit organisation that provides free, 24-hour Telephone Crisis Support service in Australia
Kids helpline 1800 55 1800
Kids Helpline is an Australian free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25.
Sane Australia Mental Health Helpline
1800 187 263, 9 am-5 pm Monday to Friday
