(CMR) Parents in Cayman have been receiving notifications via WhatsApp of the dangers of the jump/trip challenge made popular on TikTok. Additionally, numerous government agencies around the region, including Jamaica and Trinidad are now warning parents about the potentially deadly game.
Referred to as the Jump/Trip Challenge, the game which has its origin in South America, has three people jumping but the person in the middle is kicked so he/she can fall. The act is supposed to be filmed and posted online.
Also referred to as the Skull-breaker Challenge, it appears to have originated in South America but schools and parents in the United States have just started warning others about it. Serious injuries have been reported by CMR has not yet confirmed any deaths as a result. However medical experts warn that the consequences can be very deadly. A 10-year-old child in Columbus, Ohio ended up with swelling at the back of her head after slamming it against the concrete floor of the school playground.
Regina Hearne of Texas posted a video of her unsuspecting son being injured while doing the challenge circulating on social media. Her post has now gone viral.
“I have been in prayer about whether I should post this. However, it occurred to me in my spirit that just by knowing, it could save someone’s life. This is a video of some students playing a very dangerous prank on my son. It is supposed to be some new challenge going around. They tell the victim to do a challenge to see who can jump the highest. Then they kick their feet from under them. I took him to the hospital. He had no broken bones (Glory to God), but he did suffer a concussion. I can hardly look at this video because it hurts me and angers me to know that these kids are doing this and thinks that it is funny. The way he hit his head and back on that hard concrete floor could have damaged him for life or worse. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – let everyone know to tell our children don’t fall for this and don’t do it to anyone else,” shared Hearne.
The Jamaican Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has also issued a warning earlier today to parents and school administrators. Schools are being advised to take all precautionary steps to prevent the practice at their facilities.
They shared that:
“The prank is a horrific act and demonstrates a lack of good judgment on the part of those involved and should not be tolerated. Students are partaking in the prank, not realizing that a fall of such nature can cause serious physical, mental and emotional damage with great legal and financial implications,”
Parents are encouraged to have conversations with their children to emphasize the dangers of social media challenges and say no to peer pressure.
There has been no local warning from the education ministry as yet about this prank.
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