Being a teenager involves trying the latest trends yet sometimes these come with unexpected consequences. Worst of all, some teen crazes have left marks that lasted way beyond their 15 minutes of fame! Here are fourteen real teen fads that left scars, both physical & emotional. If you did any of these, you’ll remember the pain they caused—if you didn’t do them, you’ll be glad for that!
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The Cinnamon Challenge
Teens everywhere thought it’d be fun to swallow a spoonful of dry cinnamon without any water as part of the Cinnamon Challenge. It seemed like a simple dare—but many ended up coughing & choking as the spice dried out their mouths. In some cases, the cinnamon got into their lungs and caused inflammation. A few teens even landed in the hospital with long-term breathing problems.
The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge
Many teens wanted to get lips like Kylie Jenner and so they started using shot glasses or small bottles to create suction on their lips. They hoped for a plumper look yet what they got was bruising & swelling. Sometimes, they even got cuts around their mouths or experienced severe pain. The temporary fullness to their lips wasn’t worth the lasting damage.
The Tide Pod Challenge
In one of the most dangerous internet trends, teens began biting into Tide detergent pods as they looked like candy. However, they contain toxic chemicals & ingesting them causes chemical burns as well as breathing problems. As a result, numerous teens suffered serious health issues while some required intensive medical care to recover.
The Salt and Ice Challenge
Yet another internet challenge was the salt & ice challenge that involved pressing these substances onto your skin to see who could handle the pain the longest. But the combination creates a rapid drop in temperature—it basically gives your skin frostbite. Many participants ended up with second-degree burns & permanent scars.
DIY Body Piercing
Some teens decided to skip the professional piercer & tried DIY body piercings at home using unsterilized needles and improper techniques. They pierced their ears and even more sensitive areas which led to infections & allergic reactions. In the worst cases, it caused nerve damage and many young people needed surgery to fix the mistakes that they had made.
Home Tattooing
Likewise, some teens experimented with makeshift tattoo guns & ink to create homemade tattoos. Yet since they lacked the proper equipment and hygiene, these tattoos often caused infections—even hepatitis transmission. But that’s not all, as many teens did their designs quite poorly so they were left with permanent marks!
Sunburn Tattoos
Numerous teens also decided to apply sunscreen in patterns & then intentionally get sunburned to create temporary “tattoos.” However, doing so created severe sunburns and skin damage that increases the risk of skin cancer. There were also teens who had permanent pigmentation changes because of the trend.
The Fire Challenge
Another dangerous trend was the fire challenge—teens doused themselves in flammable liquids & set themselves on fire, aiming to put out the flames quickly. As you might expect, the dare led to severe burns requiring skin grafts and long hospital stays. Fire departments urged teens to stop but not before many had already been injured by such a reckless stunt.
Planking in Dangerous Places
Planking became a viral sensation in the 2010s & teens laid face down in unusual spots—but some took it to extremes. They planked on rooftops, balconies & moving vehicles which inevitably led to accidents. In some of the worst cases, they fell from heights and suffered from broken bones or even died.
The Choking Game
In an attempt to experience a brief high, many teens did the Choking Game where they strangled themselves or others to restrict oxygen to the brain. Doing so caused them to faint or have seizures—in some cases, they suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen. In fact, some teens suffered long-term neurological damage & there were reports of fatalities when things went too far.
Neknomination
Neknomination was an online drinking game which involved teens filming themselves consuming large amounts of alcohol in creative or outrageous ways. The challenge encouraged dangerous levels of drinking that led to alcohol poisoning & some teens being hospitalized. Sadly, some participants died from excessive alcohol consumption during these dares.
Inhaling Helium
Sucking helium from balloons to make funny voices sounds harmless—yet some teens took it further by inhaling large amounts or doing so from pressurized tanks. It created oxygen deprivation that made some teens faint or even asphyxiate. As such, the risks far outweighed the temporary giggles from a high-pitched voice.
Non-Prescription Colored Contacts
To try & change their eye color, many bought decorative contact lenses without prescriptions from beauty stores or online. Unfortunately, these lenses often didn’t fit properly & weren’t sterile, which led to eye infections. It also caused vision loss for some teens that required surgery to repair the damage.
Sleep Deprivation Challenges
The sleep deprivation challenge involved teens competing to see who could stay awake the longest and such a lack of sleep impacted their mood & cognitive functions. For some teens, the results were hallucinations and memory loss—for others, it was weakened immune systems. It was a challenge with results they couldn’t easily reverse as the effects sometimes lingered.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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