Doctors warn ‘skull breaker challenge’ on TikTok could be deadly

“Recently, a video has been made viral on social networks, in which some baccalaureate students of our institution are exposed, making a game where the … physical integrity of one of the young people would allegedly be put at risk. In the aforementioned video, the badge of the College is clearly distinguished, whose symbol represents the institutions,” the school’s tweet reads when translated to English, according to Yahoo News.

Parents have reported their children falling victim to the challenge on social media, with some young students suffering broken bones, severe cuts to the face, and loose teeth. Doctors have taken note of the online phenomenon and cautioned parents to advise their children not to participate.

“The skull breaker challenge is an emerging prank being propagated on social media that results in forceful trauma to the head and neck area. It can be associated with a variety of serious and even life-threatening injuries including, but not limited to, bruising, hematoma, skull fracture, neck strain, neck fracture, concussion, and long-term complications of concussion, bleeding in or around the brain, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and death,” Nathan Richards, a physician at Ohio State University, told Yahoo News. “Although it can seem like a harmless prank to children and adolescents, they should be educated on the potential serious consequences of doing the skull breaker challenge.”

“In spite of knowing this is the intent, the falling teen rapidly lands without blocking the fall, leading to, at minimum, a concussion,” said Denise Klinkner, a pediatric surgeon at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center in Rochester, Minnesota. “If one is able, an outstretched hand to block the fall may lead to a broken wrist or arm.”