Some Viral Challenges Can Endanger Others

Social media is more than a way to keep in touch with friends and family for many Kentucky residents, especially young people. Now, social media outlets such as YouTube and Instagram have evolved into entertainment platforms for millions of devoted fans. Many online “challenges” have gone viral, and as you can guess, some have resulted in injuries.

You may remember the recent “Tide Pod challenge,” in which social media users dared each other to eat toxic Tide Pods, with predictable results. People shook their heads at the foolishness of such a stunt, yet it seems there is a great lack of common sense when it comes to getting views or “likes” online.

Girl Crashes Car Doing the Bird Box Challenge

The most recent viral challenge is based on the Netflix movie Bird Box. In the film, Sandra Bullock and other characters cover their eyes with blindfolds to keep safe from mysterious forces that have caused the end of the world. In the Bird Box challenge, people uploaded videos of themselves performing everyday activities while blindfolded.

It sounds like a relatively harmless challenge, except for a few people who fell or ran into walls while going about blindfolded. However, one teenage girl took the challenge to the extreme and attempted to drive while blindfolded with another young girl in the car with her. She crashed her car with another vehicle. Fortunately, nobody involved in the accident sustained any injuries. Spokespeople from Netflix issued a request for people not to perform the Bird Box challenge or endanger others.

People Should Consider Potential Dangers Before Acting

Viral challenges can be fun and entertaining, but the key is to think about how a challenge might potentially harm you or someone else before you do it. Those who engage in activities that hurt someone else may be liable for their injuries.