There’s nothing new about youths practicing dangerous activities or adrenaline-charged sports. Whether it’s drag racing, skateboarding, quarry diving, or crossing a one lane railroad tracked bridge, teenagers will find any manner of unique ways to amuse and/or get themselves killed. It’s practically a rite of passage for a lot of people. Provided you survive long enough, the day comes where you realize, “Wow, that’s really kinda’ stupid,” and find other pursuits less likely to kill you outright.
Our beloved Zoomers, i.e. Gen Z, are determined to corner the generational market on outright stupidity. Apparently, the Tide pod idiocy didn’t go far enough, and there’s new brand of Darwinism trending throughout social media. It’s called the “skull breaker” challenge, and, according to NJ.com, at least one New Jersey teen’s been injured due to the “game.”
Unlike the Tide pod extravaganza, the “skull breaker” isn’t about self-abuse, it’s about royally screwing one of your friends and/or coercing an uninformed individual into “learning a new dance move.” In reality, it’s nothing more than a way to get a person to fly backward and land hard on the ground.
The challenge, which has been circulating on the social media platform TikTok, isn’t the app’s first foray into stupidity, e.g. the “penny” or “outlet” challenge sparked damage and a few fires, and the latest works like this. Three people stand in line next to one another, with the middle person unaware what awaits. When the three jump, the two beside the middle participant kick out the victim’s legs, causing a hard fall — often headfirst.
Naturally, this has led to some pretty severe injuries, causing concern among parents who fear their child will be the next to fall victim, particularly after watching the videos circulating on social media showing numerous kids flying backward and smacking their heads. To give you an idea how widespread this “challenge” is, we’ve included a very brief list of reported injuries.
A 13-year-old Cherry Hill boy suffered a concussion and a subsequent seizure after participating in the challenge at school, according to CBS2 New York, and because social media is spreading this challenge like a virus, a 12-year-old Alabama boy was also injured. The boy jumped, his “friends” beside him tripped the boy up, and he flew backward, as expected. The boy landed wrong, and broke his wrist, as reported by WTVY.com.
According to ABC 13, thirteen-year-old Kathleen DeJesus was a target in the challenge while at school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She was rushed from Lawrence Massachusetts Middle School to the hospital, where she spent two days for a severe concussion. “I couldn’t get up because I couldn’t feel my hands,” said Kathleen. “I couldn’t feel my legs, my feet, nothing. I was numb. I was screaming that I needed an ambulance,” said Kathleen. “I was thinking like ‘Oh my God I’m going to lose my life over this game.’ I should have never done it.”