A new trend in social media called "Skull Breaker Challenge" has medical experts worried and are warning teenagers and netizens to resist the urge of doing it, and put a stop to the danger it poses.
Per Fox, the trending challenge originated in Spain and emerged from the video sharing application called TikTok after two students recorded themselves doing the unsafe stunt.
The challenge involves three people standing side-by-side, the two persons standing on both ends trick the middle person into jumping and would then kick their legs from underneath causing them to fall down on their backs and heads.
In reports by Yahoo!, the trend has proven how dangerous it is after it has already caused serious injuries and at least one death which has brought fears that more children and teens may suffer the same fate if the challenge is not stopped.
While many injuries have been reportedly sustained by victims of the prank, Costa Branca, a Brazilian TV Station reported that a 16-year old girl died due to the prank back in December, according to NZHerald.
Meanwhile, a more recent video of the challenge went viral showing a boy slamming into the concrete floor after he was pranked by two of his peers, who kicked his feet away. Per The Mirror, the video which was taken from Venezuela, has reportedly caused the boy to end up in intensive care after he suffered from severe injuries.
Experts in cyber safety are now warning on the grave risks that are associated with being a part of the challenge, parents have also been told that they need to pay close attention to their kids who are using the application.
In connection to this, Susan McLean a Cybersafety expert said that she is amazed by the people who make these challenges and do not think of its consequences, further adding that parents need to know how their children are behaving online.
She also said the "Skullbreaker Challenge" is not the first trend in social media that has posed serious danger to those who did it. McLean then referred to the previous challenges where people poured ice on themselves, ate laundry detergent and used salt and ice to burn skin.
However, McLean said this by far is one of the most dangerous challenges that has surfaced online so far, urging social media users not to take part in these dangerous activities.
McLean also warned that taking part in this challenge has the potential to lead to criminal charges if a person is seriously hurt or killed.
A mother in Arizona named Valerie Hodson has taken it to Facebook to share images of her son who fell victim to what she referred as "malicious, cruel viral prank," February 8. Hodson said that her son suffered from a head injury that had severe cuts in his mouth and sustained stitches on his face.
She further detailed how her son landed hard on his back and hit his head causing him to lose consciousness when he tried to get up, he then fell on his face onto the asphalt. She also said that the two who had pranked her son continued laughing at his son's unconscious body.
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