If you haven’t heard of TikTok, you’re clearly living under a rock. The social media app that has people lip syncing, dancing and creating funny videos to popular tunes is becoming one of the biggest platforms on the Internet right now. There are also plenty of challenges on the app, but not all of them are safe to do. The latest one being the ‘Salt Challenge’ has users swallow copious amounts of salt without spitting it out.
Dr Simran Deo, a UK-based doctor, told a leading British publication about the dangers of the challenge. “As a doctor I would strongly recommend that people not participate in this activity. Eating too much salt is very bad for your health both immediately and in the long run.
“In the short term, depending on how much you’ve ingested, eating too much salt can be poisonous. This is because it raises the sodium levels in our bodies, which can cause intense thirst, confusion, nausea and vomiting. In extreme cases it can also lead to seizures, a coma or can even be fatal – as the high levels of sodium cause the brain to swell up against the inside of the skull.”
TikTok has seen plenty of dangerous challenges on the app, some of which include the recent Skull Breaker challenge where school kids knocked their upright friends by hitting their legs which lead to them falling on their heads and backs. In fact, two teens were charged with criminal intent in New Jersey, USA, for doing this challenge.
The other challenges included the outlet challenge, where a phone charger was partially placed in the socket, and coins were dropped in the gap which led to sparks. In some places, the sparks led to fires and caused burns to the teens.
Earlier, there was the Kiki challenge which was set to Drake’s ‘In My Feelings’ song where people jumped out of moving vehicles and danced alongside on the road.
While it might be fun to do challenges for a good cause – remember the ice bucket challenge? It is important to keep one’s health in check before performing these stunts.
Image credit: iStock, TikTok
