A teenager broke her neck and seriously injured herself after she did the "Skull Breaker" TikTok challenge with a couple of her friends.
Sarah Platt, 18, is still suffering from the pain of her accident two years ago. She admitted to Daily Mirror that her friends pressured her into doing the TikTok challenge. At first, Platt said she didn't want to do it because she knew she would get hurt, but she gave in as her friends kept egging her.
Following the painful experience that left her with three broken neck bones and an injury to her T5 vertebrae, Platt warned other teens not to try these dangerous TikTok challenges. She realized she could speak up and raise awareness because she didn't want someone else to get hurt anymore.
Sarah's mom: "We were lucky..."
Jane Platt, the teenager's mom, said they have been lucky because her daughter survived her injuries without paralysis. Kids have ended up with permanent injuries as a result of these viral challenges.
The "Skull Breaker" challenge involves three participants. Two will fool the third person into jumping, but they will kick her feet, so she lands flat on the ground with the head bearing all the weight and pressure.
Kathleen DeJesus, a 13-year-old from Massachusetts, thought she would die after trying the challenge. She felt paralyzed and knew she had a concussion, so her parents brought her to a specialist.
In New Jersey, two teenagers were sued for aggravated assault and endangering an injured victim by parents Stacy and Marc Shenker. Their son's symptoms, such as headaches and lethargy, are still recurring months after his concussion from doing the "Skull Breaker." The Shenkers also warned kids to be discerning about the challenges and crazes they follow online.
"Just because you see that something looks funny doesn't mean when you try to do it," Marc said, per ABC7.
More dumb TikTok challenges parents must know
According to Daily Mail, kids on TikTok are also getting electrocuted because of the "Socket" challenge, where they try to place a penny on a phone charger's socket. TikTokers also develop a burn or frostbite due to the "Salt and Ice" challenge, where they rub salt and ice on their skin.
Some kids participate in the nutmeg challenge, where they consume raw ground nutmeg for a "high." This risk leads to increased heart rate, breathing difficulties, and seizures for some kids.
In April, a 12-year-old boy lost his life to the "Blackout" challenge. Archie Battersbee was found unconscious at his house with a bind on his head, suffocating him. He was declared brain dead at the hospital.
A spokesperson from TikTok said that they launched a project and took proactive steps to ensure the removal of these dangerous challenges on their platform. Further projects will be focused on educating its users.
