TikTok is a great platform for people to make creative (musical) videos in which they sing, lip-sync to various songs and dance to them. In the meantime, TikTok became one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world with the majority of users being young people, including a lot of teenagers. The app has become so big you can find all kinds of content in it ranging from the initial “music” videos, to funny animal videos, make-up tutorials, etc. However, TikTok is also flushed by bizarre challenges and trends which can be very disturbing or even dangerous.
The Milk Crate Challenge
I first discovered this challenge through a video which was posted on Facebook, but taken from TikTok as it showed its label in the corner of the screen. In this clip, I saw a young man stacking milk crates to create a staircase, resembling a kind of pyramid. In this challenge, he tries to walk up the crates. However, as he takes a few step going higher in the stacks, the milk crates collapse and the young man falls down with his back hitting one of them. The video ends right after and I have no idea if he was injured or not.
Various TikTok content creators have joined this trend and tried it out for themselves. Most of them, as it seems, do not succeed. And some of them, have been hurt badly. Medical professionals have spoken out against this challenge, discouraging people from trying it, as it can cause severe injuries.
Cereal Challenge
WARNING: this trend is extremely nasty!
This disturbing challenge involves two people. One person has to lie down on their back with their open, as if they were at the dentist. The other participant will fill up the mouth with milk and cereal, as if it was a bowl, and then proceed to eat out of there.
For your sanity, I am not going to post a video or picture of it, as it is incredibly disgusting, but you will probably find enough videos of this challenge on YouTube and TikTok itself if you are interested.
While nobody gets hurt from this, most agree that it is highly repulsive. It is truly puzzling why someone would come up with this idea and why some users chose to follow this nasty trend.
The Blackout Challenge
This challenge takes things to the extreme where it even becomes fatal. For this one, the user blocks their own airflow, whether it is by choking themselves or another method, until they become unconscious. The 10-year old Antonella Sicomero from Italy died while trying this challenge. After choking herself with a belt around her neck she passed out and was found by her family. When she arrived in the hospital she suffered a cardiac arrest and eventually lost her life. Antonella was not the only one who passed away due to this challenge. Deaths caused by the Blackout Challenge are reported for two other young children as well.
What makes TikTok Challenges so popular?
There are way more challenges on TikTok than those three which I have picked out. There are many harmless trends as well which are fun to watch, but at the same time there are too many dangerous fads as well. But what makes some challenges so popular and why do so many users participate even though they could end up in the hospital, like in the case of the Milk Crate Challenge?
Dr. Pamela Rutledge, a media psychologist, explains that the features and the way the TikTok app works have a great appeal on the users. The app offers “…a low barrier to entry, artistic control, the illusion of fame, and being part of something new and cool.” Because TikTok is already equipped with many editing tools it takes less effort to create something and it is easy to use. The way in which TikTok is used is also to re-create existing content. Most of us are aware that there are many TikTok videos which resemble each other. They are almost the same, only the people in the videos are different. This also opens a door for many to join various challenges. “However, for those who crave social validation and lack the critical thinking skills or developmental maturity to judge risk, TikTok and TikTok challenges can be a less positive and sometimes dangerous experience.” – Dr. Pamela Rutledge
References
https://pamelarutledge.medium.com/tiktok-challenges-their-psychological-appeal-6dcb0dfd19e4
https://parentology.com/milk-crate-challenge-dangerous-new-trend-hits-tiktok/
As someone who has recently downloaded TikTok, and thus got spammed with Dutch influencers doing challenges in my ‘for you page’ at the beginning, I can only say that I agree with the fact that TikTok is not necessarily a great place. Where, on one side, I got many great videos of people just making plain jokes, I also got disturbing videos. Sometimes it was a challenge video like you described, but sometimes entirely different things as well (like hordes of gooses getting scared off into a pool filled with alligators). I think recently, with the rise of popularity of Squid Game, TikTok is also a place where young children might get to see things they shouldn’t, which may be one of the reasons for the rise of violent, Squid Game related, games that are now being seen at primary school playgrounds
I actually did a similar blog based on weird and dangerous challenges people do on youtube, so it was very interesting to read about this phenomenon in a newer social media platform!
It’s really crazy how far people are willing to go for the same thing: internet fame/clout. Seeing stories of young people ending up in the hospital or even dying from stupid challenges like these makes me sad, and I really hope these platforms will start trying to prevent such challenges from blowing out of proportion where they have the chance. I have seen some weird tiktok challenges through youtube videos, where influencers for example mess around with pretty dangerous acidic skincare problems, and end up damaging or even burning their skin in the process. This is not only a terrible result for them, but also for the company the product has been made by, as these influencers often go and blame the product even though they simply did not use the product the way it is meant to be used.
Very interesting blog to read! š
I remembered there was a challenge in 2014 called ‘ALS ice bucket challenge’. It was really popular when it got released on Facebook. Many celebrities and public figures did this challenge and recorded the video and called out this challenge with extra three people. Shortly, this ice bucket challenge was spread worldwide. They will prepare a bucket with full ice, and would just dump it to their heads to feel how actually these people who got freezing syndrome experience everyday.
The ALS, commonly known as the “gradual freezing syndrome” is well known to the public due to the challenge. It is seen as a motor neuron disease and is listed as one of the five terminal illnesses by the World Health Organization. Once the person got this “ALS” the patient will gradually be stoned from the limbs to the whole body, and later to the muscles that control the movement of the eyeballs, which cause the patient not able to move.
This trend of following the ‘Ice bucket challenge’ was originally wanted more people to know about the actual freezing syndrome. And many celebrities did donate money to the foundations. However, after this challenge went viral online, many people just do it for fun. And pass down the challenge to other of their friends.
Personally, I consciously skipped the whole TikTok addiction and never downloaded the app. But I still see the most popular challenges popping up on my snapchat or instagram (e.g. the milk crate challenge) and every time Iām amazed at what someone has come up with again. There are the cutesy ones where you kiss your best friend (and somehow it always works out and they end up kissing and being happy (yeah sure)), but most challenges are as you said disgusting and dangerous.
But then again, is that new? I remember the cinnamon challenge during high school (most definitely dangerous as well) as well aa the ice bucket challenge which was mentioned above.
There is no doubt that TikTok made the spread of these challenges a lot easier, but I think, sadly, people have always had the urge to do dangerous things (adrenaline rush and all). However, it could also be a good opportunity to use the platform to warn people away from those challengesā¦