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How do trend culture and social media challenges impact teenagers?

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How do trend culture and social media challenges impact teenagers?

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Social media trends and challenges have become immensely popular with the rise of popular social media platforms such as TikTok. With the mass of people that participate in these challenges, there are concerns over people mindlessly following dangerous trends. On the other hand, people highlight the beneficial impacts of these trends, explaining the power of how a unified body of individuals can create positive change.

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The Council on Communications and Media explains, “Or, another that involved cooking chicken in NyQuil (the Sleepy Chicken challenge), which prompted the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to warn against the dangers of medicine misuse.”

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Social media challenges can be fascinating to teens, who can be both impulsive and drawn to behavior that gets attention.

Some social media challenges, like the ALS ice bucket challenge or the mannequin challenge, can be fun and positive activities. But other challenges that pop up on the internet are dangerous and can lead to lasting harm.

You may have heard of viral social media trends like the Tide pod challenge, the choking game or "blackout" challenge, the Benadryl challenge or the one-chip challenge. Or, another that involved cooking chicken in NyQuil (the Sleepy Chicken challenge), which prompted the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to warn against the dangers of medicine misuse.

These trendy social media challenges can cause serious injuries and poisonings, and some can even be fatal. Being aware of these challenges and understanding why they lure teens is important for all parents.

Why are teens drawn in by social media challenges?

Teens' brains are still developing. The part of the brain that handles rational thought, the prefontal cortex, is not fully developed until the mid-20s. This means teens are naturally more impulsive and likely to act before thinking through all of the ramifications.

The role of social media - rewarding outrageous behavior

Social media rewards outrageous behavior, and the more outrageous, the bigger the bragging rights. It's a quick moving, impulsive environment, and the fear of losing out is real for teens. That environment plays into a teen's underdeveloped ability to think through their actions and possible consequences.

Kids won't necessarily stop to consider that laundry detergent is a poison that can burn their throats and damage their airways. Or that misusing medications like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and similar medicines can cause serious heart problems, seizures and coma. What they will focus on is that a popular kid in class did this and got hundreds of likes and comments.

The role of parents - building a better brain

As a parent, you can help your teen build intellectual muscle. Here's how:

To start a conversation, ask your kids about the biggest challenges they've heard about in their circle of friends. Encourage them to see if they can surprise you. Ask them (calmly and without judgment) what they think about the challenge. This helps build the skill of judging risk by talking about what could happen to someone who takes the challenge. You can still exercise your parental options such as limiting contact with certain kids or making specific activities off limits.

If your child seems interested in participating in a challenge, use open-ended questions to encourage them to think through each step of the challenge. Ask them to consider the worst outcome. Ask them to think about why they would do it, and if it's worth it. Are likes and comments worth hours in the emergency department?

Be sure to "friend" your kids on social media. Staying in touch on their preferred communication platforms can help you keep in touch with what goes on in their day-to-day lives. Watch their stories for clues about what is going on in school and with their friends. Let your children know that if you pay for the device and the wireless network, they have to friend you in exchange. It's also a good idea to create a Family Media Plan.

Sometimes kids are more willing to talk about their peers than themselves. Asking questions about school trends, friends and fads may yield more answers than direct questions about their own activities. No matter what, it is important to keep the lines of communication open and avoid passing judgment. Instead, calmly discuss the dangers in those choices.

The egg crack challenge & other prank-and-post trends

As a parent, another way you can help your child recognize risky social media challenges is to be a positive digital role model. Avoid social media trends that involve "pranking" kids and posting their reaction online, like the egg crack challenge. While cracking an egg on an unsuspecting child's head may not cause physical injury, it can hurt-physically and emotionally. Hurting a child for laughs can erode the sense of safety and trust they have with you. Using a platform that can be viewed worldwide for years to come can further damage trust and compound a sense of humiliation.

While children and teens continue to grow, learn more about life, friends and their place in the world, remember that their brains are still rapidly developing. As a parent, you can help nurture that growth and help your teens develop thoughtful, rational thinking-skills that will continue to be important for years to come.

More information

Council on Communications and Media (Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics)

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social media challenge; internet challenge; viral video; trending challenges; tiktok; benadryl challenge; one chip challenge; egg crack challenge; sharenting; online prank; poisoning; tide pod challenge; mannequin challenge

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Dangerous Social Media Challenges: Understanding Their Appeal to Kids

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Social media challenges can be fascinating to teens, who can be both impulsive and drawn to behavior that draws attention. Being aware of these challenges and understanding why they lure kids is important for all parents.

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People are concerned about dangerous challenges that can have lethal affects. Unfortunately, I do agree that despite the benefits that social media trends have, there are definitely threats, especially towards younger audiences who are more vulnerable to dangerous trends.

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Psychological impacts of social media trends

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Psychological impacts of social media trends

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Social media’s trends and challenges can have a drastic impact on teenagers who are still developing in various aspects.

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Collaboration through challenges and trends

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Collaboration through challenges and trends

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Many social media users have proven that through a collaborative effort, they were able to promote social justice by spreading awareness and holding fundraisers for good causes. Maryville University explains that, "People have discovered new ways to communicate and collaborate through social media. Features such as feeds, profiles, and groups on social platforms provide global access to organizations that can promote and increase visibility by sharing and networking."

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Technology is accelerating the rate at which ideas, relationships, and information are shared. As such, social media is revolutionizing communication and access to information on both a national and global scale. Mass distribution and the ability to effortlessly share information has influenced many facets of modern life, changing the way we think about, connect to, and engage with social justice and activism.

How Social Media and Activism Work Together

People have discovered new ways to communicate and collaborate through social media. Features such as feeds, profiles, and groups on social platforms provide global access to organizations that can promote and increase visibility by sharing and networking. Modern communication students study these virtual platforms, and can even pursue careers creating and distributing digital content. The power of social media can amplify voices, instantaneously spread information, and increase collaboration across diverse groups of people.

Here are some movements and trends that have caught hold in the national and global conversation in part due to their presence across social media.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Association ran an ice bucket challenge in 2014 raised awareness of the disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) - as well as $115 million in donations. The donation amount was transformative for the association, allowing it to invest in research and assistive technologies, as well as to increase access to healthcare and services for people with ALS.

The ice bucket challenge involved dumping a bucket of ice water either over one's own head or somebody else's to promote awareness of, and encourage donations to, ALS research. The challenge went viral on social media, in part due to its nomination system: Once a person had completed the challenge, they would nominate other individuals to complete it as well. If the nominee chose not to, or did not complete the challenge within 24 hours, they were supposed to forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.

The success of the ice bucket challenge was aided by its low barrier to participation, entertainment value (self-made videos that were typically under a minute long), and celebrity participation.

Arab Spring

The early 2010s saw a series of protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions in Tunisia, which spread quickly across North Africa and the Middle East. The revolutions targeted oppressive regimes and low standards of living.

The "Arab Spring" is noted for the young protesters who took to the streets, utilizing social media during the uprisings to organize, create awareness around the political issues, and document the experience on the ground. The use of social media in political uprisings, documenting violence, exercising freedom of speech, and creating space for civic engagement has reinforced the importance and relevance of citizen journalists today.

Studies on the Arab Spring protests discuss the use of social media in these events and their effects on the internal populations of the involved countries, as well as the global awareness that citizen journalism created through the sharing of posts, photos, and videos. Facebook pages and groups created spaces for gathering and community building, sharing stories and information on the ground, and organization for protests in real time. Studies found that though social media helped spark many of the protests through online mobilization, its greatest impact was "acting more as a megaphone than a rallying cry."

The dissemination of information by sharing local self-generated news translating into mass and international media brought the issues and events into the global discussion. This resulted in international pressure against the violent reactions of autocratic regimes to protesters.

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement began as an online community that worked to combat anti-black racism and police violence that targets African Americans in particular, using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Through the use of the hashtag and social media platforms, the online community has been able to organize, mobilize, and improve its visibility, eventually becoming an organization with more than 40 chapters that work to support black lives.

The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag was created by the co-founder and strategic advisor Patrisse Khan-Cullors through inspiration from a love letter written to black people by co-founder Alicia Garza, following the killing of Trayvon Martin. According to the Pew Research Center, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was used nearly 30 million times on Twitter (an average of 17,002 times per day) from its first use in July 2013 to the research cap date of May 1, 2018. The hashtag was slow to gain initial momentum, but has since resulted in daily usage.

The hashtag increases in use during events like protests, demonstrations, speeches, and national discussions, or in response to news stories that affect the black community. Further data from the Pew Research Center study shows the hashtag was commonly used to discuss the relationship between the black community and:

Fatal police-related encounters

Violent acts

Police and law enforcement actions

Specific national politicians and political parties

Race and racial discrimination

Protests and activist events

Utilizing social media and tools such as hashtags encouraged information sharing, helped spread awareness, and provided a space online for the Black Lives Matter community to form and organize.

#LoveWins

The Supreme Court's decision of 2015 to legalize marriage between same-sex couples was celebrated by many people across many platforms. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) had worked throughout the year leading up to the Supreme Court decision with digital marketing campaigns, creating original content and language about loving, committed, same-sex couples to drive the marriage-equality narrative.

With the courthouse win, the HRC's work around #LoveWins was put into full effect through social media, promoting the sharing of messages and photos in support of the victory with the inclusion of the #LoveWins hashtag. The online campaign was a success with 97,592,956 impressions on the breaking news Facebook post from HRC, and #LoveWins trending globally throughout the day with 7 million tweets and 1.4 million photos on Instagram. Celebrities such as President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift, and many companies and corporations from large to small participated.

#MeToo

The Me Too movement (or #MeToo movement) is a source of solidarity for women of all backgrounds who have experienced sexual harassment. The movement focuses on the experiences of sexual violence survivors from all walks of life. By telling and sharing stories, those who engage with the movement hope to show how common sexual harassment is.

The Me Too movement originated in 2006, but reached the mainstream in 2017 when multiple high-profile actresses opened up about their sexual harassment experiences in the film industry and began sharing the hashtag #MeToo. The popularization of the topic instigated an understanding of the Me Too movement, sexual harassment, and assault, hoping to reduce tolerance of abusive behaviors and increase support for victims.

Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street is a modern example of a grassroots political movement - action from the power of the masses. The Occupy movement operated from a bottom level organization with no official leader, but the mindset that all individuals are leaders. These protests spanned multiple weeks, making splashes nationally and across the globe through the use of social media.

Each locale of the movement would establish its own set of organizational practices, utilizing virtual as well as concrete spaces, and striving to revise proposals until nine-tenths of the participants approved. The phenomenon created by Occupy Wall Street relied on social media's ability to foster unified collective participation.

How Social Media Can Promote Social Justice

The use of social media to uplift voices and stories, create awareness, and build and strengthen relationships creates a space for organizations, activists, and citizens to demand justice.

Coordinating Community Responses

As discovered with movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, social media has the opportunity to create online spaces where people come together and find support. Instances such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street showcase the global effect that can take place through the sharing of ideas online, such as massive gatherings that create unity for a cause.

Platforming Lived Experiences

Many social justice causes work to build equity for minorities and underrepresented individuals and groups within society. The stories and struggles of minorities often aren't well known or publicized, but social media can provide a platform to amplify and share them with potentially millions of people across the globe. This exposure helps share lived experiences about racial violence, sexual harassment, and other forms of oppression directly from the underrepresented.

Promoting and Planning Events

As seen with Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and the Black Lives Matter movement, social media can create public awareness around issues in the name of social justice. The ability to reach a larger audience by sharing information empowers communities to organize in the real world around a cause. Political activist group MoveOn plans and organizes swift responses to real-world proceedings in "Rapid-Response Events." MoveOn hosts immediately available information that can set in motion a series of protests with unified demands by 5 p.m. the next day following an event or sequence of political happenings.

Sharing Pictures and Videos

Social media can also be used as a tool not only to organize large-scale protests, but also to document them. Nearly every social movement in the modern world is documented through social media, and news outlets frequently scan sites like Twitter to find new information or evocative imagery of current events.

One highly publicized example is the Hong Kong protests of 2019, in which protesters have used social media to share pictures and videos of events as they occur, battling for a public and global opinion on the pro-democracy movement.

Signal Boosting

Though social media provides the opportunity for the voice of an individual to be amplified, in many cases, this voice can still be lost in the noise of the internet. It takes a community utilizing the share feature to gain traction for a post, allowing it to spread to a much wider audience. This process of signal boosting occurs when fellow social media users share a single message. When done well, signal boosting can cause content to go viral.

Utilize the College Population

Young people use social media more often than their older generations, and the trend of use is statistically unchanged since 2018, according to research from Pew Research Center. The breakdown of platform usage shows that Facebook is the most widely used platform across demographic groups, with roughly 70% of adults saying they use the platform, but that Instagram and Snapchat have an especially strong following among young adults. The research further shows that roughly three-quarters of Facebook users visit the site daily, while 80% of young adults are using Snapchat and Instagram not only daily, but multiple times a day.

With the available attention of college-aged students, and the desire of students for "perspective-taking" in the higher education experience, college campuses are fertile ground for targeted audiences of social justice causes and movements.

There are many ways to utilize social media to network, facilitate awareness, and build conversations online, but it is also important to be aware that colleges and employers are also observing online personas. Participants should always be aware of etiquette and professionalism, which can also lend credibility to a conversation or movement.

Best Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits

For nonprofits and social justice organizers alike, social media can be a powerful resource for sharing a narrative, sharing information, or building a conversation around an issue. Getting in touch with and building an audience can benefit the organization's mission.

Fundraising

A social media fundraising campaign typically works to utilize the diversity of the audience and focus attention on one focused goal. This works to earn smaller donations from a wider pool, improving awareness, which can lead to more donations. Utilizing a call-to-action can augment fundraising efforts. Social media provides a platform to elevate charitable donations and the community, to share stories and connect with donors.

Fundraising through social media is best done with a strategic plan that implements not only a goal, but also a strategy on how to get there, valuing the importance of improving awareness and organically growing an audience. Creating a funnel from awareness, engagement, and finally to conversions is a media strategy that will ensure that views are converting into donations. With the expansion of technology into design and media, having someone on the team with a bachelor's degree in digital media may be the key to designing a campaign: blending technology and design into an aesthetic that will increase the opportunity for shares and mass communication.

Partnering with Influencers

Partnering with a social media influencer who has enough followers to influence public opinion, can greatly boost a message. An individual with a larger audience taking a stance on an issue or promoting a cause may help reach target donor demographics to boost public awareness and perception of a nonprofit.

Promoting Events

Producing an event can build community engagement around a topic, such as protests and rallies, fundraising events, educational or informative events, or used clothing drives. Promoting an event through social media provides the opportunity to capture the attention of, and invite all followers - as well as the potential to reach out to each follower's audience. Utilizing Facebook as a platform to market the event can also help in preparation by providing an estimate of the number of those who are attending.

Sharing Stories

Sharing stories does more than provide information; it also has the opportunity to showcase situations of great need or successes in the movement. Making space for a narrative to be told can let the audience know that there is still work to be done - but also that it is making a difference. In addition to raising awareness, these stories may encourage continued support of the ongoing efforts of the nonprofit or campaign.

Spreading Awareness

For nonprofits and social justice campaigns, utilizing social media can spread awareness of the mission, needs, and sometimes even the existence of an issue. Social media can create a platform for sharing stories, narratives, and photos, providing facts and data in a consumable way, which engages an audience by helping them understand. The work to create awareness helps to build a community around an issue. Social media and networking can be done with focus and dedication, but with the rate at which technology and communication continue to evolve, the help of a professional who has a degree in strategic communication or expert knowledge can drastically improve meeting tangible goals of growth and awareness for a campaign or nonprofit.
Recommended Reading:
What Is Cyberbullying? Understanding Online Harassment and Bullying
Digital Literacy and Online Education
Netiquette and Online Behavior Guidelines

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Social Media as Activism and Social Justice | Maryville Online

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Utilizing social media to serve as a communication tool for social justice can generate awareness, build communities, unite ideas, and share narratives.

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Introduction to negative content and its impacts

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Introduction to negative content and its impacts

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Since people cannot control all of the media they have access to, teenagers may come across content that has a harmful message. This can promote indulgence in harmful behaviors.

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Moved by a sense to fit in, teenagers may participate in cyberbullying or be the victim of it. This can be caused by teens following harmful trends that promote microaggressions leading towards alienating an individual or a whole group of people. This can spread ingrained racism and other forms of hate as well as discrimination. I definitely agree that this is the case, with many teens often being bystanders or chiming in on hateful acts simply to not be the one who is outcasted.

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Trends and challenges allow for social connection

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Trends and challenges allow for social connection

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Social media is a channel that allows for countless unique users to interact. Trends and challenges add to how different individuals can connect.

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Coming across misinformation is not uncommon on social media. Misinformed teenagers may be misled and spread this false information while following trends on social media, leading to new dangerous challenges. This creates an unhealthy cycle of spreading misinformation and creating new harmful trends or challenges.

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Kirsten Wier explains that, “more than 40% of high school students reported depressive symptoms, with girls and LGBTQ+ youth reporting even higher rates of poor mental health and suicidal thoughts.” I definitely believe the trends and challenges on social media can cause teenagers to feel less confident, as they often compare themselves to others. While trends and challenges can have a negative impact on a teen's mental health, it acts as a double edged sword, since it can also be used to spread a positive message and helpful information about mental health.

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Social media brings benefits and risks to teens. Psychology can help identify a path forward

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New psychological research exposes the harms and positive outcomes of social media. APA’s recommendations aim to add science-backed balance to the discussion.

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Challenges that promote misuse and ingestion of substances such as the Benadryl challenge and the Tide Pod challenge have led to several casualties. Lindsey Bever states that, "Since 2012, eight fatalities have been reported among children 5 and younger, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers."

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Videos are circulating on social media showing kids biting into the laundry detergent packets, which can lead to emergency room visits. (Video: The Washington Post)

First, it was the "gallon challenge" and the "cinnamon challenge."

Then some teenagers started playing the "bath-salt challenge."

They have dared each other to pour salt in their hands and hold ice till it burns, douse themselves in rubbing alcohol and set themselves ablaze, and throw boiling water on unsuspecting peers.

Now videos circulating on social media are showing kids biting into brightly colored liquid laundry detergent packets. Or cooking them in frying pans, then chewing them up before spewing the soap from their mouths.

Experts say the game, dubbed the "Tide pod challenge," is dangerous.

"You're really taking a chance - and to what end?" Alfred Aleguas, managing director of the Florida Poison Information Center in Tampa, told The Washington Post last week. "It's pretty foolish behavior."

On Wednesday, YouTube said it would "work to quickly remove flagged videos that violate our policies," spokeswoman Jessica Mason said in a statement.

"YouTube's Community Guidelines prohibit content that's intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm."

It's not certain how the Tide pod fad got started.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning to parents several years ago about the liquid laundry detergent packets. The agency said the capsules - which are colorful, squishy and smell good - are attractive to young children but contain "highly concentrated, toxic detergent" that can cause harm.

In 2015, the Onion published a satirical op-ed from the perspective of a toddler who wanted to eat them.

At some point, the pods became alluring to older children. Last year, College Humor published a video titled " Don't Eat the Laundry Pods. (Seriously. They're Poison.)." It showed a college student researching the dangers associated with exposure to the packets, then devouring them. He ended up on an ambulance stretcher.

One expert conceded that young children are inclined to explore but was surprised at the number of older children and teenagers who are putting the packets in their mouths.

Last year, U.S. poison control centers received reports of more than 10,500 children younger than 5 who were exposed to the capsules. The same year, nearly 220 teens were reportedly exposed, and about 25 percent of those cases were intentional, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

So far in 2018, there have been 37 reported cases among teenagers - half of them intentional, according to the data.

"A lot of people were just saying how stupid I was or how - why would I be willing to do that?" 19-year-old Marc Pagan, who said he was dared to do it, told CBS News last week. "No one should be putting anything like that in their mouths, you know?"

Children who have been exposed to the capsules have been hospitalized with vomiting, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness. And the consequences may be much worse. Since 2012, eight fatalities have been reported among children 5 and younger, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Aleguas, Florida Poison Information Center, said that as with nearly any substance, "the dose makes the poison."

The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems, he said. Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it - experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures.

And because many teens may not have had the need for a thorough physical exam, Aleguas said, some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.

Tide's parent company, Procter & Gamble, said in a statement that it is "deeply concerned about conversations related to intentional and improper use of liquid laundry pacs."

"Laundry pacs are made to clean clothes," Proctor & Gamble spokeswoman Petra Renck said in the statement. "They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance, even if meant as a joke. Like all household cleaning products, they must be used properly and stored safely."

In response to nationwide headlines late last week about the "Tide pod challenge," the company released a public service announcement on social media, featuring the New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski discouraging people from playing around the laundry detergent packets.

"What should Tide PODs be used for? DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else," the company said on social media. "Eating a Tide POD is a BAD IDEA, and we asked our friend @robgronkowski to help explain."

Tide released a public service announcement about the "Tide pod challenge" on social media, discouraging people from eating the laundry detergent packets. (Video: Tide)

To report exposure to laundry detergent pods, call the national poison hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or text POISON to 797979 to save the number on your phone.

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Teens are daring each other to eat Tide pods. We don't need to tell you that's a bad idea.

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Teens are biting into the liquid laundry detergent pods, or cooking them and chewing them before spitting them out.

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People were able to raise $115 million in donations for the ALS(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Association together by participating in the ice bucket challenge. This was a highly successful example of using social media challenges to spread awareness and raise funds for those in need.

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#LoveWins campaign launched after legalization
of same-sex marriage and #MeToo movement created in support of women sharing experiences about sexual assault and harassment. Those who feel alone or are struggling with a personal matter can come together with those going through similar experiences. Rather than suffering alone, people can find a community where they can empathize with and heal with others.

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The prefrontal cortex, a region in the human brain regarding self control and making rational decisions. However, this region does not fully develop until a person's mid-20s. This serves as an explanation for why teenagers are more likely to act impulsively and without regard as to the danger they are putting themselves in by participating in certain challenges.

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The region of the brain that desires and perceives attention as well as feedback from peers is more prominent and sensitive during adolescence. This means an excessive exposure to negative content on social media would have a higher influence on teenagers compared to adults.

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Teenagers are able to connect with each other virtually through trends and grow their social skills healthily online. For teens with anxiety, having more privacy and time to think before they speak can be relieving and allow them to communicate while feeling more at ease through social media.

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Social media prevents isolation and as Kirsten Weir says, “Social media provides a lot of opportunities for young people to discover new information, learn about current events, engage with issues, and have their voices heard.”