TikTok trends: The ‘risky and dangerous’ challenges your kids could be engaging in

It’s home to the weird, wonderful and viral. But video platform TikTok has a dark and dangerous side. We run through the trends and expert advice to keep your kids safe.

It’s one of the world’s fastest-growing social media platforms, playing host to the weird, wonderful and viral for an estimated 1.1 billion users.

Home to fun-loving content spanning pop culture and politics to recipes and adorable animals, TikTok has cemented itself as the No. 1 place for young people to engage online.

But while most of the content is quirky dances and cute lip-syncs, some corners of the app have become a breeding ground for dangerous trends as teenagers put themselves at risk under the bright lure of online fame.

In early March, a western suburbs teenager was sent to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital after attempting the ‘thumb-blowing challenge’, in which school kids film themselves hyperventilating and passing out.
A 10-year-old girl died in Italy after attempting the “blackout challenge”, while a number of injuries were reported from 2021’s ‘milk crate challenge’ and ‘Benadryl challenge’.

A study, conducted by TikTok at the end of last year, found more than 30 per cent of teenagers had seen trends that contained “some risk”, while 14 per cent were described as “risky and dangerous”.

Here are some of the concerning trends and how to tackle the tough conversation around social media.

Thumb Blowing challenge

The “thumb blowing” trend sees users, predominantly children, kneeling and inhaling deeply before jumping up and blowing out their lips with their thumbs in their mouth.

Many users can then be seen hyperventilating or passing out.

The hashtag #thumbchallenge has more than 31 million views on TikTok.

The challenge is done in pursuit of a drug-like “high” caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, but can have terrifying consequences.

In April, a western suburbs mother said her son was hospitalised with concussion-related symptoms after attempting the trend.

Blackout

While the “blackout”, “pass-out” or “choking” challenge is not new to social media, it began doing the rounds on TikTok in 2021.

Similar to the thumb blowing challenge, these particular challenge encourage users to hold their breath until they pass out.

In the past 12 months alone, the challenge has been linked to the deaths of four children in the US and sparked warnings for Australian parents after a Sydney mother found her son unconscious.

Benadryl

The Benadryl challenge, named after the common cough syrup, involves ingesting high doses of antihistamines in a bid to induce hallucinations.

At its peak, the challenge was of such concern that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning over the drug’s misuse.

Benadryl manufacturer Johnson & Johnson also released a statement in response to the trend.

“As with any medicine, abuse or misuse can lead to serious side effects with potentially long-lasting or even life-threatening consequence,” the company said.

“This challenge, which involves the ingestion of excessive quantities of diphenhydramine, is a dangerous trend and should be stopped immediately.”

Fire challenge

No, this one isn’t from an episode of Survivor.

While there’s nothing new about ‘Frosties’, the schoolyard endurance battle of spraying aerosol deodorant onto an exposed body part, this TikTok trend takes it to a new level.

The “fire” challenge sees users either throwing aerosols into exposed flames and filming the resulting explosion or, more dangerously, spraying deodorant on their clothes before setting themselves alight.

This TikTok user from WA can be seen spraying deodorant on himself before setting it alight. Photo: TikTok

The hashtag #firechallenge has more than 200 million views on TikTok. Picture: TikTok

What you can do

While these challenges sound frightening, experts say the best way to keep your children safe is not to demonise the social media platform.

Co-founder of Australia’s Cyber Safety Project, Trent Ray, says parents need to engage openly with their kids about the content they are consuming.

“TikTok challenges can emerge rapidly, so for parents it’s important to be chatting regularly with their teenagers to gain insights into what they are exposed to online,” he said.

“We also recommend bringing up popular trends such as ‘the hold challenge’ and asking your children to critically evaluate the risks or harms associated with participating.

“We are seeing (and hearing reports form our schools) of young people falling into harm’s way.”

Parents can also encourage their children to report inappropriate content on the platform.