Kids today are getting into some rather scary stuff online, including dangerous dares & risky stunts—the internet is full of challenges that could cause real harm. These challenges often cause serious injuries and put other people at risk, with parents not knowing about them until it’s too late. Here are thirteen terrifying yet real challenges that kids are actually trying. Take this list as a sign of why it’s so important to keep an eye on what our kids are doing online.
Featured Image Credit: Kryzhov /Depositphotos.com.
The Bird Box Challenge
The Bird Box Challenge is inspired by the movie of the same name, which involves characters trying to walk around blindfolded—some people thought it’d be fun to do the same thing in real life. They’re doing everyday tasks blindfolded, including walking around their neighborhoods and even attempting to drive (yes, really). To nobody’s surprise, it’s led to accidents & close calls that put the participants themselves and others in serious danger.
The Hot Water Challenge
Some kids are actually pouring boiling water on themselves because of a daring stunt called the Hot Water Challenge, while others have tried drinking the scalding water. This reckless challenge has led to severe burns, permanent scarring and even life-threatening injuries—the pain is immediate & intense. It’s a dangerous prank that quickly turns into a tragic situation because playing with boiling water is a guaranteed fast-track to the emergency room.
The Benadryl Challenge
While Benadryl is commonly used as an over-the-counter allergy medicine, some children are overdosing on it to try to hallucinate, as they think it’s a harmless way to get a cheap high. But overdosing on antihistamines is extremely dangerous because the side effects may include rapid heart rate, seizures—or even death. What starts as experimenting quickly becomes a medical emergency but that isn’t stopping some kids from trying the Benadryl challenge.
The Eraser Challenge
As part of the Eraser Challenge, kids take ordinary erasers & rub them hard against their skin while reciting the alphabet or chanting phrases—it might sound harmless but the friction from the eraser causes painful burns. It may even leave open wounds that could get infected if not treated properly, which is rather surprising given that something as simple as a school eraser caused it. Sadly, many kids don’t think about the consequences and end up with scars or needing medical attention.
The Blue Whale Challenge
The Blue Whale Challenge is a dangerous online game that sets up a series of tasks over 50 days, which, at first, seem harmless. But these tasks gradually become more disturbing, leading up to self-harm & even suicide—the game manipulates players into doing so. It often targets vulnerable children who might already be struggling and has already caused real tragedies around the world. As such, it’s one of the most shocking challenges out there.
The Car Surfing Challenge
In the Car Surfing Challenge, participants stand or sit on the outside of a moving car while someone else drives, trying to “surf” on top—such thrill-seeking behavior is as risky as it sounds. A sudden turn, stop, or bump could easily throw them off the vehicle, with falls from moving cars causing serious injuries or even death. They have no control over the car’s movements and participants are putting themselves in extreme danger for a quick adrenaline rush.
The 48-Hour Missing Challenge
The 48-Hour Missing Challenge involves kids faking their own disappearance for 48 hours, with the goal being to see how much attention they can get on social media as friends & family search for them. This causes real panic and distress among loved ones while also wasting the valuable time and resources of law enforcement. Pretending to go missing could also have serious legal consequences that outweigh any kind of social media attention.
The Eyeball Challenge
For the Eyeball Challenge, participants pour vodka or other strong alcohol directly into their eyes because they believe it will get them drunk faster, even though it’s actually incredibly dangerous. It could cause immediate burning and damage the eye’s delicate tissue—other potential consequences include corneal abrasions, infections and even permanent blindness. Harming your eyesight for a supposed quick high is reckless and the risk of lifelong vision problems just isn’t worth it.
The Skull Breaker Challenge
The Skull Breaker Challenge recently went viral on social media platforms and it involves three people standing in a row—the two people on the side trick the person in the middle into jumping, then they kick the middle person’s legs out from under them. This causes them to fall backward and may result in severe injuries like concussions or skull fractures. Spine damage is also a possible consequence, yet it hasn’t stopped some kids from trying this challenge.
The Bright Eye Challenge
Believe it or not but some children are mixing hand sanitizer, bleach & shaving cream, then putting it near their eyes to change their eye color temporarily—it’s called the Bright Eye Challenge. Of course, such a dangerous mix could cause severe irritation and chemical burns, as well as permanent eye damage. Messing with harsh chemicals so close to your eyes is a recipe for disaster but some children are doing it for a temporary look.
The Milk Crate Challenge
The Milk Crate Challenge took social media by storm because it sounds rather simple, as you simply stack milk crates into a wobbly pyramid and try to climb over them. Even though it looks entertaining, those crates are super unstable and many people have taken hard falls when the whole thing collapses. They’ve ended up with broken bones, sprains & bruises—chasing internet fame shouldn’t come at the cost of your health.
The Hot Coil Challenge
In the Hot Coil Challenge, kids heat up stove coils and then press their bare skin against them, with the goal being to see how long they’re able to withstand the burn without flinching. The result, though, doesn’t seem worth it—severe burns, blisters & scars that could last a lifetime. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to hurt themselves for a fleeting moment of attention online, especially since there are safer ways to test your limits that don’t involve a trip to the emergency room.
The Outlet Challenge
It seems like common sense that messing with electricity is extremely dangerous, yet that’s exactly what the Outlet Challenge involves. Kids plug their phone chargers into outlets, leaving the prongs exposed, then slide a coin onto them to create sparks, which could cause electrical shocks & fires. There’s a real risk of electrocution or starting a fire that endangers everyone nearby.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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