Social Media platforms are doing nothing to stop the influence of harmful challenges. Social Media challenges such as the blackout challenge have caused people to hurt/kill themselves, and challenges like the Orbeez challenge have caused people to hurt/kill others. Social media platforms are not taking control of dangerous challenges, nevertheless, they are letting them stay posted. If these platforms don´t stop these challenges, people will just keep on getting hurt.

Recently, people have been warned of a string of Orbeez shootings. These Orbeez shootings are caused by a challenge that has spread over the internet. Tiktok had taken these videos down, but not before people got hurt. Perpetrators have been arrested, and people have been killed. Police in Fernandina Beach, Fla., shared on Facebook that the new trend is influencing people to shoot the soft gel Orbeez balls at citizens with a gel-ball gun or an airsoft gun. "We continue to see teenagers … discharging splat ball guns.¨  Says local police. This means the platforms have done nothing to stop the influence of this challenge. This shows that a simple toy such as Orbeez can be used as a murder weapon.

Several children have been sent to the hospital for taking part in the challenge “Blackout”, one kid is brain dead, and two kids have killed themselves for taking part in this challenge. Also referred to as the "choking challenge" or the "pass-out challenge," the "blackout challenge" encourages users to hold their breath until they pass out due to a lack of oxygen. People reported, that this year alone, four children have already died after taking part in the challenge. This evidence shows the influence social media can have on children, enough influence to try and kill themselves.

Tiktok says they're strengthening policies, and police are implementing more severe penalties to discourage dangerous challenges. But this might not work, however, the only way to stop dangerous challenges is to review every post before they're posted, to end hashtags or videos before anyone is hurt. There's no way to keep anyone safe without someone being mad. If social media platforms keep doing nothing, more people will get hurt or killed in the future. Nuking Hooker Oklahoma would be the top challenge of 2050. Enslaving Canadians would be the top challenge of 2069. Trying to become Hitler would be the top challenge of 2420. Nothing good would come out of it. Social media could become deadly, but we can prevent it.

Works Cited

Arias, Pilar “Police issue warning about dangerous new TikTok challenge sweeping the US, multiple arrests made” Fox News, March 20, 2022

Daoud, Elizabeth, and Steadman, Kaitlin “Parents warned of potentially deadly TikTok ‘blackout challenge’.” 7 News, Mar 21, 2022