‘SKULL BREAKER’ CHALLENGE GOING VIRAL ON TIKTOK IS DANGEROUS, DOCTORS WARN
The overwhelming majority of the contributors are cackling away whereas the movies report, however there have already been a number of documented accidents stemming from these challenges. One mother in Arizona shared pictures of her son in a hospital mattress with a head damage and stitches after his toes have been kicked out from beneath him and he landed on his again and head.
So why do teenagers seemingly overlook the dangers concerned in collaborating in these challenges? One skilled mentioned it has to do with mind growth.
“Adolescents are in a stage of their growth the place peer relationships and suggestions is essential to them,” Dr. Nicole Beurkens, a scientific psychologist and ambassador to Qustodio, advised Fox Information. “They’re additionally coping with extra complicated social interactions at a time when their prefrontal cortex (the a part of the mind chargeable for higher-level pondering, determination making and impulse management) just isn’t but absolutely developed. This mix of excessive want for constructive social suggestions and never but absolutely developed impulse management make them extra prone to have interaction in these sorts of challenges.”
Beurkens mentioned the teenagers additionally fail to issue within the potential penalties of the dangers they’re prepared to take with the intention to full the problem.
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“They are usually extra ‘within the second’ thinkers, versus contemplating the longer-term penalties of their habits,” she mentioned. “There may be additionally one thing known as the optimism bias that causes folks to consider that dangerous issues gained’t occur to them. Even teenagers who know the possibly harmful penalties of doing a problem like this will fall prey to the defective pondering that ‘it gained’t occur to me.’”
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To keep away from potential catastrophic damage to your little one or their buddies, Beurkens recommends discussing the challenges and dangers concerned brazenly with their teenager earlier than it’s too late.
“Pay attention to what your children are doing on social media and the sorts of issues they’re doing,” she mentioned, suggesting that social media monitoring packages, like Qustodio, encourage a partnership between guardian and little one to make sure secure use.
“Speak usually about what they see and listen to different children doing, and the way you are feeling they usually really feel about that,” she mentioned. “Present details about the risks of those sorts of challenges and what they will do in the event that they encounter a scenario the place they really feel strain to take part in one thing like this.”