Social Media has become home to various challenges of this generation, including some that have been around for years. While these challenges are praised by numerous teens, there are certain challenges performed that create harm, hospitalization, and/or death. While these challenges can seem harmless or worth trying, consider what could happen when performing this challenge: Is it worth causing harm to yourself, or even killing yourself?

These challenges can most likely be seen through Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc. In my personal opinion, I think these challenges continue in popularity because when people see others performing a popular challenge, they will likely do it as well. Imagine yourself as a follower of your favorite celebrity or icon: if you see them performing the ‘Kiki Challenge’ on Instagram, would you likely consider doing it as well?

Although these challenges may seem harmless because you’re watching them on a screen, ‘harmless’ would be the opposite of their original outcome. Over the years, countless challenges have caused hundreds of people to sustain injuries:

• The Cinnamon Challenge: filming oneself eating a spoonful of cinnamon in under 60 seconds, without any beverages.
• The Kiki Challenge: Participants come out of a moving car, leaving the door open, and dancing to “In My Feelings” by Drake\; all the while, their car cruises down the street.
• Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge: Participants insert their lips into a shot glass, bottle, small jar, etc and then suck out the air, creating a vacuum.
• Salt and Ice Challenge: Participants pour salt on their bodies (usually arm) and ice is placed on the salt (causes a burning sensation similar to frostbite) and participants see how long they can withstand the pain.
• Ghost Pepper Challenge: Involves filming oneself while eating and swallowing a chili pepper high on the Scoville Scale (has caused vomiting, hallucinations, asthma attacks, and cardiac arrest from common ingredient ‘pepper spray.’

You would think people, especially YouTubers, would be smart enough NOT to try these challenges, but you’d be surprised. In all, these challenges are used by most people to gain views on Social Media, especially on Youtube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Since 2012, about 30 people suffered from Cinnamon inhalation, which includes nosebleeds, coughing, burning throat, and vomiting. Since 2013, there have been numerous reports of people being hospitalized with second-degree burns due to the ‘Salt and Ice Challenge.’ Recently, different videos of ‘The Kiki Challenge” view various participants crashing into poles, tripping on numerous objects, or falling from their cars. While observing these dangers, consider if this is something that is actually worth a few minutes of attention or, in most recent cases, hospitalization.