Part of being young is exploring new things, being creative and engaging in fresh experiences. Thanks to the incredible growth of the internet, it’s now possible to not only learn things with the click of a button, but also to share these things with other people like never before.
Unfortunately, a bi-product of this web of connectivity is that pranks and ill-mannered trends spread quickly as well. These can usually be harmless things – those meant to generate laughs or raise awareness for one cause or another – but there also exists those with rather more sinister undertones.
When I was younger, we often had “slumber parties”, where you would stay over at a friend’s house with other kids. It’s hardly a new phenomenon, and remains popular amongst today’s youth.
Now, however, alarming reports in the U.S. are now spreading about a new internet trend – one fuelled by gatherings like slumber parties – that sounds as dangerous as it is outright foolish.
“The Hot Water Challenge”
We wrote about it not that long ago, but it would appear that the ‘game’ shows no signs of decreasing in its popularity. It’s called “The Hot Water Challenge” and can often involve a group surprising one of their friends by pouring boiling hot water on them. It should go without saying that this has the potential to cause severe, sometimes even life-threatening burns.
There are several clips on YouTube of people playing the game, those where teens challenge each other regarding who can take the boiling water on their skin, or even drink it. Tragically, it would appear the craze is particularly prominent amongst those of younger ages.
Deaths and serious injuries
In August 2017, an 8-year-old girl died in Florida after drinking boiling hot water. An 11-year-old boy was also taken to hospital after his friends poured a pitcher of boiled water over him as he was sleeping. Another teenager suffered hideous burns on his back after engaging in the same trend.
Sadly, these cases are far from isolated. A 15-year-old boy, Nicholas Conrad, has published a video on YouTube where he shows off the burns incurred after his friends threw boiling water on him as he, too, lay sleeping.
Nicholas explains in the video that his friends didn’t know how hot the water was. Fortunately, he was able to escape with “just” bad burns. However, it could have been worse. Nicholas revealed that the boys responsible are no longer his friends.
This is an extremely dangerous trend that all parents should be watching out for. Help us by sharing this article to spread awareness of this most alarming of trends!
