Newest Not-So-Smart Tik Tok Trend: The Skull Breaker Challenge

Tide-pods, outlets and jumping up and down: What do these things all have in common? They've been featured in some of the dumbest, and most dangerous social media challenges to date. It seems just as we start to warn people about  one of these "challenges", another one pops up. The latest has a great number of parents, school administrators and medical professionals very concerned, and for good reason.

Just last month we did a post about the "Outlet Challenge" where kids were plugging in their phone chargers but leaving just enough room to stick a coin between the outlet and the wall. They'd then record what would happen when they stuck that coin in there, and as you can imagine, the results were shocking...literally. In some cases, there were actual fires caused...damage to homes...and physical injuries....just because one kid came up with the dumbest idea he/she could think of, recorded it and then shared it online.

Teach your kids not to be sheep...or in this case, I guess it would be better to call them all Lemmings, as they seem to be following each other off the cliff! Remember when kids would build a fort or play a card games for fun? Yikes!

This latest fad, the "Skull-breaker Challenge" as its called, has the potential to do just what it says, leading to concussions, brain injuries or even death. In this challenge, three individuals line up to jump up and down. The people on either end go first. Then, as the person in the middle jumps up, the two folks on the side kick the feet out from underneath the middle one (who usually has no idea what's about to happen), causing them to fall onto their backs and head with great force.

These challenges are recorded and then posted to the social media site, Tik Tok. The challenge has already resulted in a number of kids getting hurt or being sent to the hospital. And, aside from the obvious physical and mental pain these challenges can cause to those unsuspecting participants, there's also another risk to those who perform the challenges; criminal activity caught right on video. Make no mistake, these videos are considered by many as cases of cyber-bullying and abuse.

Mental health professionals, members of law enforcement and school administrators across the country are urging parents to talk to their kids about the potential risks and dangers these social media challenges can pose to both the people who take part in them, and the kids posting this kind of content online.

As seen in the video below, parents are also warning each other to be diligent in monitoring their kid's social media activity, sharing their own experiences with these challenges.

Feel free to spread the word. And make sure you're talking to your kids about this stuff.