Wondering what your kids are up to? You should be. Please educate yourself on the current threats to our kids in the form of social media challenges so that you can have an informed conversation with your young people. There are several making the rounds.
#1 – The Duct Tape Challenge – One or a group of children duct tape another child and see how long it takes them to escape. Inherent dangers are asphyxiation and falling injuries.
#2 – The Cinnamon Challenge – As seen on Mythbusters and YouTube, The spice, Cinnamon, is hydrophobic and, by definition, is not water soluble. The challenge involves trying to swallow a large spoonful of cinnamon. Since the body cannot dilute the cinnamon, the individual often inhales the spice and holds it in their cheeks while trying to swallow small portions at a time. The tragic results can be pneumonia or death by asphyxiation as the spice is drawn into the lungs, and burns, as the cinnamon is pocketed in the cheeks.
#3 – Eraser Challenge – One of the more recent but an old challenge renewed and made popular again due to the internet is this self-harm competition. Individuals compete to see which of them can rub an eraser on their body the longest. The resulting burns are compared for the win. Obviously, the body burns are the primary issue. However, since erasers are obviously not kept in the most sanitary environments, secondary infections have also been observed as a result of this challenge.
#4 – Salt & Ice Challenge – In this challenge, individuals dare each other to first put salt on their skin, followed by an ice cube on top. The salt lowers the temperature of the ice even further, resulting in frostbite. The challenge is to hold the ice on the skin as long as one can stand the burning sensation. This unfortunate challenge can result in up to third degree burns and severe scarring.
As long as peer pressure exists, so will the need of some children to impress others. Building up the confidence of our children to withstand the need for approval in the form of abuse is vital. Helping our kids realize they have the strength to refuse to follow the crowd and make their own path is our duty.
