One TikTok challenge is getting some heat for causing serious injuries among those who have tried it.

Coined as the "skull breaker" challenge, the challenge involves two people leading the person in the middle to jump. While the person in the middle jumps, the other two will kick his/her legs to make this person fall to the ground.

Here are some examples:

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Warnings against the "skull breaker" challenge

The challenge supposedly originated from South America, with reports claiming the fad might lead to severe concussions or even death.

The #skullbreakerchallenge which is currently trending on #tiktok is fatal. Please pay attention to our kids. pic.twitter.com/SQi9RPpk6j

— Nicole Wong 王晓庭 (@nicolewong89) February 14, 2020

According to Bangkok Post, the Thai police warned that this challenge could result in head and spine injuries as well as deaths.

To deter people from trying this challenge, the Thai police warned those who caused severe injuries to others from this challenge can face jail terms of up to 10 years and pay a maximum fine of 200,000 baht (about S$8,900).

Parents and authorities have also raised concerns over this viral challenge:

Against Tik Tok community guidelines

In response to Mothership's query,  a TikTok Singapore spokesperson said that the team is on the lookout for such content that breaches its community guidelines.

Here's a statement in full:

"The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok. As made clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, and this includes the skull breaker challenge. Our content moderation team is on the lookout and we will remove any such content promptly."

Dissuade

While it is unclear how pervasive this challenge is in the TikTok community here, you might want to caution TikTok users that you know about this.

Non-profit group, TOUCH Cyber Wellness, has also written a post to share some communication tips to educate and dissuade youths from trying this challenge.

The key pointers are the followings:

1. Highlight your concerns
2. Hear from your child about what they feel about the skull-breaker challenge
3. Discuss the potential danger and harm to all parties involved
4. What they can do should they witness such pranks in school?

   • Provide simple first-aid responses such as:

     i. Do not panic

     ii. Check if the victim is conscious

     iii. Ensure no one moves the victim unnecessarily (if unconscious)

     iv. Get help from relevant adults immediately

     v. Call an ambulance when needed

You can read more here:

Top photo via screengrab of Tamil Meesaikaran தமிழ் மீசைக்காரன்'s video