The dangerous challenge with milk crates goes viral on social media: this is “Worse than falling off a ladder”. Doctors are now warning about the trend: “If you land on the milk crate wrong, you will break your back and become paralyzed,” it sounds.
The Milk Crate Challenge is particularly popular this week on social media such as TikTok. The challenge aims to make a pyramid of crates and to ‘overcome’ it painlessly. American doctors are now warning about the trend: “If you land on the milk crate wrong, you will break your back and become paralyzed,” it sounds.
Challenge participants stack milk crates on top of each other in the shape of a pyramid, climb to the top and then try to get back down safely. Doctors in the US, where the challenge is most popular, are shocked: “It might be worse than falling off a ladder,” orthopedic surgeon Shawn Anthony told the Washington Post. “It’s very hard to brace yourself for the fall.”
“In addition, everyone should do their part in these ‘corona times’ by supporting first aiders and caregivers. That means you don’t participate in challenges like this that put extra strain on the system,” said Shawn.
“You run the risk of bumping your head and having a bleed,” adds Chad Cannon, an emergency room physician. “If you land on the milk crate, you will break your back and become paralyzed.”
A hospital in the city of Baltimore responds cynically to the challenge: ‘As the number of hospitalizations across the country is on the rise due to the coronavirus, it is best to check with your local hospital to see if they have a bed available for you before trying the #milkcratechallenge.’
The social media platform TikTok, where the challenge is popular, claims it “bans content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts”. “We encourage everyone to be careful about their behaviour, both online and offline.”
So far, with success, because a direct search with #milkcratechallenge on TikTok yields little to nothing. All images of the challenge can easily be found on other platforms such as Twitter and YouTube.
Not for the first time
It’s not the first time a dangerous challenge has gone viral on TikTok. Last year the ‘skull breaker challenge’ was a trend. Three people are standing next to each other, and they seem to be about to jump into the air together. But the two on the flank take down the unsuspecting person in the middle with a solid tackle while he is still in the air. The victim slams hard backwards against the ground, head, neck and back first.