Kids & the dangers of social media challenges: 'The injuries can be quite serious'

Gugs Mhlungu spoke to resident human potential and parenting expert, Nikki Bush.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.

There is no shortage of crazes, dares or challenges online.

The latest one is the 'JumpKick Challenge' on TikTok.

It was known as the 'Skull Breaker Challenge' in 2020 and it’s raising its head in schools again with dangerous consequences.

"What it means is three people stand in a line and they all three jump but they've actually set up the middle person as the victim and the target. The two people on either side don't jump, they kick the legs out from underneath the middle person and so the middle person hits the floor on their back."

- Nikki Bush, resident human potential and parenting expert

Bush says the videos show children falling hard on their backs and often their heads are flicking back and hitting the hard ground. 

"The injuries can be quite serious. We're looking at concussions, skull fractures, brain damage, paralysis, hamartomas, bruising and bleeding on the brain and that's just the physical side of the injury."

 - Nikki Bush, resident human potential and parenting expert

"This is humiliation in front of your peers in the real world and then they post the video online for everybody else to laugh at you. So it's a double-whammy in terms of being both bullying and cyberbullying. So the unsuspecting victim is set up and everyone gets to laugh at this person's expense." 

- Nikki Bush, resident human potential and parenting expert

Bush advises that parents show their children these videos and use them as a teachable moment to develop children's critical thinking skills to protect themselves.

She emphasises the need for parents to speak to their children about what is happening in the world so they don't end up being either the perpetrator or the victim.

"You can ask your children questions...what do you think about this challenge? Would you do it to someone else? We need to start helping our children build that critical thinking facility in their brain. Critical thinking is actually helping your child to do scenario planning, to actually almost make choices before something like this happens."

- Nikki Bush, resident human potential and parenting expert

For more parenting advice, visit Bush's website nikkibush.com

Scroll up to listen to the full interview.