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What is it with people on the internet and their incessant need to become viral by doing challenges that are hazardous to their health and has the potential to either hurt or kill them?

There has been an ongoing problem on various social media platforms including YouTube and Tik Tok where many users have posted videos of themselves performing dangerous stunts or challenges that could potentially harm the individual and send them to a hospital or outright kill them. And yet these people are so desperate to become a viral sensation that they’d rather risk their own lives for views rather than looking out for their own well being and their own health.

If the challenge is for a good cause like promoting a charity in the hopes of creating a cure for something like ALS (The Ice Bucket Challenge), I have no problem with it.

However, if the challenge in question revolves around hurting or harming either myself or others, then that’s where I draw the line.

The Cinnamon Challenge, The Tide Pod Challenge, The Blue Whale Challenge… These are several examples of dangerous viral challenges that need to end.

But of course, there’s always bound to be some new viral trends that pop up and the whole cycle of people getting hurt or dying just repeats itself. Case in point: The “Dry Scooping” Challenge and The “Benadryl Challenge” that are currently trending on Tik Tok.

For those who don’t know what these challenges are, here’s what they are:

The “Dry Scooping” Challenge is a trend where people scoop up a spoonful of weight workout supplements or proteins, place it in their mouths, and ingest it in a dry state rather than placing the supplements and/or proteins in water or liquids first in order to get a perceived boost of energy.

The “Benadryl Challenge” is where participants take more than the recommended dose of Benadryl.

This is especially worrisome when you take into account that these two challenges have hospitalized or killed people who have participated in them including teenagers, children, and adults.

A message to those who are thinking of participating in these viral challenges: DON’T! It’s not worth the views or attention and it could be hazardous to your health.

A message to the people who came up with these challenges: SHAME ON YOU! By promoting these challenges and getting those who don’t understand the dangers of them involved (children especially), you are liable for whatever happens to them and need to be held accountable for your actions.

A message to social media sites such as YouTube and Tik Tok: STOP CIRCULATING VIDEOS OF THESE DANGEROUS TRENDS! They’re bad influences to people of all ages and they’re bad for business. Do you really want to lose your PR, your user base, and your revenue you get from advertisers for promoting these trends.

That is all.