A dangerous new TikTok challenge has gone viral in which American schoolchildren are deliberately damaging school-issued Chromebooks. The teens insert metal objects into the USB ports, causing the devices to short-circuit, smoke, or catch fire.
Image source: AI
Image source: Emondinos/TikTok
This is not the first time that a viral social media challenge has put the lives and health of teenagers at risk. Previously, the Kia Challenge trend gained popularity, in which participants broke into Kia and Hyundai cars of certain years of production, which led to a wave of thefts. Even more tragic were the consequences of the Blackout Challenge, when children strangled themselves on camera until they lost consciousness: several participants died. Also in 2020, TikTok users tried to short-circuit electrical outlets using various metal objects, which often led to fires.
It must be said that TikTok’s administration responded quickly to the new threat. Searching for the Chromebook Challenge now displays a warning: “This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our rules.” However, some videos of teenagers testing laptops for “durability” can still be found on the platform.
Experts are calling on parents and teachers to tighten control over the use of school devices and explain to children the dangers of such “entertainment.” TikTok emphasizes that it will continue to remove dangerous content, but at the same time notes that it is almost impossible to completely stop the spread of the trend.
Experts warn that such actions are extremely dangerous, since damaging lithium-ion batteries can lead to an explosion. School districts in Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina and Washington have already sent out official warnings to parents about the risk.