TikTok ‘seizure challenge' shows teens making fun of epilepsy

A TikTok trend where users pretend to suffer from seizures has been slammed as an “appalling” mockery of epilepsy sufferers in the latest challenge to go viral for all the wrong reasons.

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Yet another viral TikTok trend has stirred controversy for the Chinese owned video app, this time for the “seizure challenge”.

The challenge involves users dancing to songs including rapper Juice Wrld’s ‘Lucid Dreams’, before imitating a seizure.

The US musician died on-board a private plane in 2019 after suffering a seizure.

Most of the participants in the challenge appear underage.

The challenge involves pretending to have a seizure.

CEO of Epilepsy Action Australia Carol Ireland has said the videos are causing harm to the epilepsy community.

“I’m appalled that people are pretending to have seizures as if it’s a joke,’ Ms Ireland said. “Living with epilepsy is certainly no joke. It’s a disease requiring strength and courage to manage, and those living with epilepsy have enough challenges without being mocked on a global scale for their condition,” she said.

Many comments on the video call the users out for being offensive.

The TikTok users set the challenge to a Juice Wrld song — a rapper who died after suffering a seizure.

“Sadly, people can and do die as a result of their epilepsy, and as a community we should

be mourning this fact and seeking to better support and treat the many Australians living with this disease. Mockery such as this can cause untold damage and distress to those – especially young people – facing the daily challenges of epilepsy.”

Many comments on the videos call them out for being offensive, however one video had more than 10,000 likes.

The challenge is just the latest in a string of dangerous and offensive trends on the app, which is mostly used by young people and teenagers.

(Juice WRLD. Picture: Bennett Raglin/Getty

Earlier this year the ‘rack city’ trend caused a storm on social media when Australian teens used the videos to brag about stealing from shops.

Also this year the ‘skull breaker’ challenge went viral for all the wrong reasons, after kids filmed themselves tricking someone into jumping in the air and then kicking their legs from under them.

TikTok’s user guidelines say the app is against offensive and harmful content, however many of the videos fly under the app’s radar unless reported by other users.