I was reluctant to do a story about this. Not because parents don’t need to know but because the Texas legislature will probably try to figure out how to make this a felony. A 12-year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania boy has learned the hard way that the “salt and ice challenge” popularized on You Tube is a dangerous game. The boy suffered second-degree burns when, on a dare, companions put salt topped by ice on his back. The combination causes a chemical reaction that can begin burning the skin almost immediately. The patient was treated at the West Penn Hospital Burn Center outpatient facility this week and will spend the next several weeks recovering.
Cinnamon challenge:
Kids take one tablespoon of cinnamon and try to swallow it without any water. The problem is it’s impossible to do. When kids try the first inhale the cinnamon and then exhale a big puff of it, which makes it easier to inhale more of it. It causes burning, coughing and sometimes vomiting.
Choking game:
Also called the fainting game, space monkey or the five-second high, kids will cut off oxygen to their brains just to film themselves fainting. The “game” can cause serious brain damage and even death.
Bottle rocket wars:
Kids will film themselves lighting off firecrackers and throwing them at each other. It’s not so much fun and games as it is burns and enucleation. Also, it’s a really bad idea.
Car surfing:
This is an old activity, but more kids are finding out about it because of videos posted to the web. Basically, a kid will climb up to the top of a car and attempt to stay on despite high speeds. The consequences of falling off, or sudden stops for that matter, can be severe injury or death.
