TikTok Dangerous Challenges Why Are They Dangerous?

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

In recent years, networks have exploded with challenges or "challenges" that become fashionable. Some, like those who launch celebrities like the Mexican Thalía, are curious and innocent. Others seek to help a cause, such as the famous "Ice Bucket Challenge." But other more strange and even dangerous challenges have emerged in networks alarming parents.

Here, the Venezuelan influencer and mother of three children, Marinés Duarte, talks to us about this urgent issue and explains why it is extremely important to pay attention to it. In 2018 Marinés was nominated as Roselyn Sánchez's “goddaughter” for the list of the “25 Most Powerful Women” of that year, thanks to her activism in Princesses Warriors and the blog In your Shoes. Currently, the also marketing expert is working on her new project: Tekkie Fam, which precisely talks about families and their use and relationship with technology.

This is an example where children are challenged to touch the electric current:

This is another well-known challenge that has already taken lives in different countries and is known as skullbreakers. "It consists of making a joke to a partner with whom" supposedly "they would do a fun dance jumping but those at the ends push the feet of the middle to fall backwards, causing them to turn on their backs and hit the back of the skull. Generally, the wingers agree to make a bad move to the jump (without knowing it - or he participates); This fall is extremely dangerous and has caused fatalities, "says the expert.

Both challenges beyond the physical disorders are a case of psychological "harassment" or bullying since it causes mockery from others and later from many when they film and send it through networks (it goes viral).

How do “challenges” spread?

They are virally distributed on social networks very quickly and without control. And that is the problem. [A] daily new challenges come out that even if they become "viral" or cannot be harmful to children or the people who do them. The issue of wanting to be accepted or achieve more likes generates that problem mainly in young people. There have been positive challenges (ice b ucket challenge) that raise awareness of an issue, but unfortunately most are negative or without any healthy purpose.

How can we prevent our children from falling into them?

Talking to them and explaining the consequences of the acts. Explaining to them that any challenge can generate a health problem or someone else. Give them confidence that they can come closer to us and, in case of being harmless, even help and motivate them to do so, so that they feel reassured that we can support them. And in case we realize that they already did it, they did not demonize him, but instead talked about the consequences and tried to do it in a positive way so that in future occasions he has better communication or is more assertive in his digital decision making.

Marinés Duarte is the only Latina who is part of the YouTube Parent Panel, which is carried out in association with the Google Family Partner program. She is a marketing and business expert with more than 20 years of experience in Latin America and the United States working with publications such as Vanidades, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and Good Housekeeping. (EE) magazines for Televisa.