Viral videos featuring people doing “challenges” on TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat can be dangerous, and a parenting expert views them as an opportunity to discuss the dangers of the internet with children.
“We as parents should always be looking for ways to talk about difficult subjects,” Modern Mom parenting blogger and author Leslie Morgan Steiner said.
Earlier this month, an “outlet challenge” sparked a small electrical fire at Stonewall Jackson High School in Prince William County, Virginia, where a student faces criminal charges.
Another example, is the “cereal challenge.”
“I know this is incredible to even believe because it’s so stupid,” Steiner said. “But, you use somebody else’s mouth as a cereal bowl and you fill their mouth up with cereal and milk and then you eat out of their mouth. And, it’s messy and weird and funny, but it’s also a really serious choking hazard.”
Another TikTok challenge involves kicking someone’s feet out from under them so the person falls down. Some people are expecting it, but others might not.
“Either way, it could really hurt somebody, send them to the hospital or possible kill them,” Steiner said.
Children may not want to talk about the internet or social media with parents, but the conversation can be quick.
“Get in and get out, and deliver two important messages: Be skeptical about what you see on the internet, and don’t do anything dangerous,” Steiner said.
She recommends caregivers consider exercising parental authority on the challenges, and tell children, “They’re too dangerous, and you’re not allowed to do them.”
Parents might not be as savvy about social media as their children, but Steiner does not believe that matters.
“We are the authorities because we have judgment and reason and experience, and we need to be using it to keep our kids safe,” she said.
