Internet Challenges are a recent trend that teens have taken on to gain the approval of others. It usually starts out with a video being posted on a social media platform, which people then strive to imitate.
“Internet challenges deal with society wanting to fit in, and have that concept of doing what everyone else is doing,” sophomore Seth Fetro said. Junior Londen Batts thinks that fame and money have something to do with it as well.
“ Kids want to go viral, around these past two years kids want to gain fame really fast,” Batts said. “It usually is because they want to get money.”
Yet these challenges aren’t all safe and sound.
In this past year, the infamous song “In My Feelings” by Drake has caused kids to jump out of moving cars and proceed to do a rehearsed dance routine. It all started with a teen named Shiggy, who filmed a video of himself dancing to the beat of the song. It caused a global sensation, which soon led to more dangerous stunts.
In other countries like Egypt and Abu Duni, you could gain a fine of $167 and get up to a year in prison for attempting the challenge, according to DJX. They decided to institute these fines in their countries due to the amount of kids who got hurt and broke the rules of the road.
Though the “In My Feelings” Challenge is more recent, older challenges like the Carolina Reaper Challenge have resulted in serious medical consequences for some participants. This challenge involves trying to consume the world’s hottest pepper. According to The Guardian, an unnamed man participated in the Carolina Reaper Challenge and soon experienced terrible aftermath. He dry-heaved, got thunderclap headaches and had trouble breathing.
Teen Vogue also reported that two friends, Lizzy Wurst and Sabrina Nicole, faced medical consequences after creating a viral video for the challenge. After eating the peppers, both Wurst and Nicole had tears in their eyes and were screaming in pain. Nicole had to use her inhaler almost immediately.
There are both pros and cons to taking part in an internet challenge. While it may be fun and a way to gain a celebrity profile, some challenges can go too far and can end up deadly.
