Mexico’s scary TikTok trend, and why India is relieved

From eating anxiety meds to blackout challenge, TikTok trends are not just weird but also dangerous and life-threatening

In June 2020, India banned TikTok along with 58 other apps developed by Chinese firms over concerns that these apps were engaging in activities that threatened "national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India". More than two years later, it looks like the decision didn't just matter for the nation's security but also for the youth's sanity in the country.

The trends that have been popular on TikTok worldwide in the last two years are not just weird but also dangerous and life-threatening. Take for instance the latest trend that has the Mexican authorities worried for its school students' health and even life.

The challenge called 'Last one to fall asleep wins' is to stay awake after taking clonazepam, a drug used to treat seizures, panic attacks and anxiety. A side effect of the drug is drowsiness. According to latest media reports, five intoxicated minors who fell for the challenge were treated at a school in Mexico City.

Here is a look at some of the dangerous trends on TikTok Indian youth were saved from, thanks to the timely ban of the app.

The blackout challenge

This trend, which first started around 2008, took a dangerous viral turn in 2021 on the social networking app TikTok. "The blackout challenge" is when social media users are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out due to lack of oxygen, and is also referred to as "the choking challenge" or "the pass-out challenge."

Experts have warned young users not to try the trend, which was linked to more than 80 deaths back when it first emerged, per the CDC. In November 2022, a Bloomberg Businessweek report linked at least 15 deaths in children 12 and under to the challenge in the last 18 months, and another five deaths in children aged 13 and 14.

Scalp Popping trend

Scalp popping, a trend that got viral on TikTok in 2021, is exactly as harsh as it sounds. For this trend, people would pull out hair from their scalp quickly to make a "popping" sound.

The "pop" you hear is the galea aponeurotica, a tough sheet of soft tissue connected to your scalp, popping off your skull, Anthony Youn, M.D., a Detroit-based plastic surgeon, was quoted in Women's Health magazine.

The trend, the surgeon said, could tear the inside of the scalp which can lead to a lot of bleeding too.

Milk Crate Challenge

In the popular challenge, the participants would try to climb the top and then back down again without toppling over, on a set of milk crates stacked in the shape of a pyramid.

The videos of people tumbling over and falling racked up millions of views and the popularity and the dangers attached to this challenge were so huge that doctors across the US came out warning people about trying this act.

"It's perhaps even worse than falling from a ladder," said Shawn Anthony, an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai hospital in New York, to the Washington Post. "It's very difficult to brace yourself from the falls I've seen in these videos. They're putting their joints at an even higher risk for injury," he added.

Dry Scooping

One of the most dangerous TikTok challenges was Dry Scooping, which had people consuming a scoop of pre-workout protein supplements without mixing them with water.

This could lead to aspiration pneumonia as the powder goes straight to the lungs. A more immediate effect of this dangerous trend is suffocation, as the dry powder turns into glob as soon as the participant drinks a sip of water, and sticks to the throat.

Some more trends, and then some more

The list of such dangerous trends is very long. There was a trend called 'Fake tongue piercing' which meant two magnets were to be placed on both sides of the tongue and it hit headlines when a 9-year-old had to be operated on since he swallowed the magnets while trying the trend.

Another challenge called the Back Crack Challenge led to many joint strains and pulled muscles.