Common Sense Media: Teachers' Essential Guide to Viral Online Challenges
Everything you need to know about TikTok and YouTube challenges that start online and leak into the classroom.
rom cooking chicken with NyQuil, to kicking people’s feet out from under them, or eating cereal out of someone else’s mouth, social media challenges range from eyebrow-raising to just plain baffling—and sometimes legitimately dangerous. It begs the question: Why? Why do people do them at all? Beyond that, how do we stay on top of them and keep students safe when they’re literally being dared to do stupid and potentially harmful things?
When it comes to staying on top of them, it can be nearly impossible. And there’s really no way to predict what will be next. But stay tuned below to get a window into the most viral challenges and trends, and keep reading to learn how to handle these social media stunts.
Current Challenges/Trends:
Hacky Sack! This one is offline and one to encourage! Kids have rediscovered hacky sack and are playing together.
The “Blackout Challenge” can involve kids choking each other, holding their breath, or using something to choke themselves. It’s in the news because of ongoing legal proceedings.
The “Benadryl Challenge” involves kids taking the drug to observe its effects, but sometimes results in an overdose.
Use these questions to help you find the information you need:
- What are online/social media challenges?
- Why do students participate in online/social media challenges?
- What are some examples? Are they always bad or harmful?
- Are they always real?
- Are they always “challenges,” or can they take other forms?
- Do they only happen on TikTok and YouTube?
- How do they affect the classroom?
- What can I say to students about them?
- Are there any digital citizenship resources that might help?
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Resource k12
Everything you need to know about TikTok and YouTube challenges that start online and leak into the classroom.
rom cooking chicken with NyQuil, to kicking people’s feet out from under them, or eating cereal out of someone else’s mouth, social media challenges range from eyebrow-raising to just plain baffling—and sometimes legitimately dangerous. It begs the question: Why? Why do people do them at all? Beyond that, how do we stay on top of them and keep students safe when they’re literally being dared to do stupid and potentially harmful things?
When it comes to staying on top of them, it can be nearly impossible. And there’s really no way to predict what will be next. But stay tuned below to get a window into the most viral challenges and trends, and keep reading to learn how to handle these social media stunts.
Current Challenges/Trends:
Hacky Sack! This one is offline and one to encourage! Kids have rediscovered hacky sack and are playing together.
The “Blackout Challenge” can involve kids choking each other, holding their breath, or using something to choke themselves. It’s in the news because of ongoing legal proceedings.
The “Benadryl Challenge” involves kids taking the drug to observe its effects, but sometimes results in an overdose.
Use these questions to help you find the information you need:
- What are online/social media challenges?
- Why do students participate in online/social media challenges?
- What are some examples? Are they always bad or harmful?
- Are they always real?
- Are they always “challenges,” or can they take other forms?
- Do they only happen on TikTok and YouTube?
- How do they affect the classroom?
- What can I say to students about them?
- Are there any digital citizenship resources that might help?