There is no doubt in it that teenagers are unpredictable in terms of their action and the way they make use of the resources available. These days there are numerous challenges that have been proven deadly because of the side effects they could cause on someone’s health. However, not all of the challenges are deadly but drinking soda over Mentos or eating detergent pods can cause severe health consequences.
It is mostly because the unmonitored use of the internet and accessibility of multiple resources without any restrictions or education. Some of these challenges may cause someone to get impaired for lifetime. Yes, it can be said that it is an era where you need only a few seconds to do something daring and extremely challenging in order to become an inspiration for others all over the world.
Sharing your extraordinary act in just a few clicks can make you a star within minutes and that is what desired by most of the teenagers. Here are a few of the deadliest internet challenges that have been making headlines in the recent years.
Coke and Mentos Challenge
There has been a myth about the soda and Mentos challenge that a boy in an African village died after consuming both of the content together. However, there is not even a single proof which confirms that a person can die after having Mentos over coke or other fizzy liquids containing soda. Though it can cause a severe damage to your health and that you might get ill as you would be vomiting up foam and a lot of it. Taking it from another perspective, it also depends on the capacity to individual’s body that whether it is capable of tackling with such kind of sickness and if not then such kind of health condition might turn fatal.
Blue Whale Challenge
By its name, it appears to be some kind of challenge that is about the involvement of world’s largest mammal but instead the information about the victims of this challenge tells us a different story. It was this game that has victimized the adolescent brains who were either depressed or were already troubled in their lives. Teenagers were found committing suicide all over the world and people were worried because they knew that it could also target their children and loved ones.
After the widespread of Blue Whale game, the whole electronic media and social media was talking about it, making people aware about the dangerous consequences this game could cause to its victims like self-harming, spreading vandalism and eventually suicide. According to the reports by the victims, this game has multiple levels that ask them to do various things that are mostly evil and make them a part of the dark gloomy world where they think everything has gone against them.
The creators of this challenge even blackmailed young people and forced them to continue playing the game. A lot of people have died taking the Blue Whale Challenge and it is better for us to stay away from the world of dark web and avoid getting involved in such activities.
Tide Pod Challenge
Despite having filters and policies that work against all those videos and content that encourage people to involve in an activity that could affect their health of become a reason of their health, there were numerous videos uploaded on YouTube showing people taking Tide Pod challenge. This challenge is actually about swallowing a detergent pod which is extremely poisonous resulting in death of the person who is eating it.
The videos have been circulating all over social media and various YouTube channels where kids are shown biting on these brightly colored laundry detergent packets and then chewing them up forming soapy bubbles in their mouth. In other cases it has also been seen that the Tide Pods have also been cooked on the frying pan before the person in the video started chewing them. According to the experts, the game that has been dubbed ‘Tide Pod Challenge’ is extremely dangerous and those who have been carrying it out are risking their health and life.
According to the Washington Post, Alfred Aleguas – the managing director of the Florida Poison Information Center – said, “You’re really taking a chance – and to what end? It’s pretty foolish behavior.” She knows the adverse reaction that could be caused by the exposure of your sensitive organs to the toxicity found in the detergents that are meant to wash clothes and all. Jessica Mason who is a spokesperson for YouTube said, “YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit content that’s intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm.”
An interesting fact about all of these incidents is that these brightly colored Tide Pods are not attracting younger children instead they are being surprisingly eaten, chewed and swallowed by the older children and a lot of them. For children and teenagers who are eating Tide pods just for the sale of foolish challenge, there are some severe health consequences that might be faced by them and there won’t be any second chance.
The liquid with an extremely high amount of chemical components that is packed in these detergent packets could get inhaled into the lungs and it could get them seriously ill. In worst case scenarios, they might experience a drastic change in their blood pressure and in the rate of their heartbeat. All of this could eventually result in the victims losing consciousness.
Another thing that is pretty alarming is that most of the teenagers and young children rarely go and see a doctor or undergo regular checkup making them unaware about the medical conditions that they would already be suffering from such as asthma and sinus. This situation could make things go even worse that the affected victim could face more health complications than expected.
Procter & Gamble which is a parent company of Tide officially responded to the news about people eating detergents packets. They said, “Laundry pacs are made to clean clothes. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance, even if meant as a joke. Like all household cleaning products, they must be used properly and stored safely.”
