Nairobi News

HashtagNews

Deadly ‘Skull Breaker Challenge’ goes viral on TikTok

By Hilary Kimuyu February 22nd, 2020 2 min read

A viral social media challenge dubbed the ‘Skull Breaker Challenge’ is raising major safety concerns across the world.

The challenge originated in Spain after two students recorded themselves on TikTok performing the stunt.

The ‘Skull Breaker Challenge’ begins with three people standing alongside each other, seemingly ready to jump into the air all at once.

But the two people on the sides actually have something bad planned for the person in the middle. The side people don’t end up jumping, letting the middle person jump alone.

Here is where the “hilarity” ensues. The two side people then try to kick the middle person’s legs out from under him or her before landing.

The injury-inducing trend is gaining popularity on TikTok and a spokeswoman for TikTok told NBC News in a statement, “the trend in question is a violation of our guidelines, so we remove the content when it’s reported.”

The spokesperson set the record straight, saying that this was not a TikTok-inspired trend.

“The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok,” the spokesperson said.

“As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, and we remove reported behaviour or activity that violates our guidelines.”

Authorities have warned the public about the ‘Skull Breaker Challenge’ circulating online after it has led to teenagers getting injured, with at least one allegedly losing her life.

A young boy from Arizona, United States was rushed to the hospital after he sustained a head injury and severe cuts in his mouth from the prank earlier this month.

His mother recalled the incident alongside photos of her son’s injured face on her Facebook page and due to the injuries, the young boy had to get stitches on his face.

In another incident, a 16-year-old girl from Brazil reportedly lost her life after participating in the viral challenge last November, according to AsiaOne.

In another viral video, a boy in Venezuela suffering grievous injuries ended up in the Intensive Care Unit, according to The Sun.

In a report by SA People, parents in South Africa are urging schools to ban cell phones during school hours, saying it fuels the sensationalism.