Not that many years ago, when AMHD was at it's most popular, there was something going around the internet called the salt and ice challenge. Teens would put salt on a body part of their choosing, and then place ice on top of it, which of course would cause a burn.
When this "challenge" was going on we'd get daily posts from concerned teens that had tried this stupidity, asking if the burn would go away, if they needed medical attention, if it would scar.
I never ever thought that I'd look back at that challenge and think, "eh, it's not so bad", but now, here we are dealing with the newest in teenage stupidity, the tide pod challenge.
I'm sure most people have heard of it, but if not I'll break it down for you. Tide pods are laundry detergent, they come in little plastic sealed cubes with three different types of chemicals used to wash your clothes. You place the pod in your laundry, the water dissolves the plastic shell, the chemicals are released and wash your clothes. Saves having to scoop powdered laundry, or pour liquid detergent, just grab, plop into the wash and you're ready to go.
Well the new challenge challenges teens (because sadly they're the ones gullible enough to try this) to eat a tide pod.
So what happens? Well, they place the tide pod in their mouth, their saliva makes the plastic shell deteriorate, and the chemicals then flood their mouth. These chemicals are harsh chemicals not meant for consumption (DUH) and will cause burns inside the mouth and on the lips. Now, if the child is lucky enough to contain the chemcials in their mouth and not swallow, they're looking at severe burns and possible surgery because of the damage this causes. If they're unlucky enough to swallow any of this chemical mixture they're looking at a possible lifetime of issues, many surgeries and possibly death.
Now, a lot of teens that have done this challenge say they knew the risks. So why did they do it? Fame. Yup, that's right, 15 minutes of YouTube fame, likes, acknowledgement from peers, from the world, even if it's a bunch of people laughing at them or telling them they're idiots. They're literally willing to risk their lives, risk a lifetime of medical issues, just for likes on YouTube.
I'm at a loss for words.
Why did I start this thread? Just thought maybe we adults, and maybe the teens on this site, should discuss this. I'd love to hear teens chime in, especially those that would consider doing something like this, because I can't wrap my head around the why of it.
