Image via West Penn Allegheny Health System
I’m reading this and I simply can’t believe it. Why are teenagers so stupid? I just don’t get it. I mean, I was a teen once too, but it would have never ever occurred to me to maim and scar myself for life in some sort of ridiculous challenge that would prove nothing.
If you haven’t heard, here’s what some teenagers (and tweens, too!) are thinking is the cool thing to do these days: the salt and ice challenge. Basically, you press salt and ice against your skin for as long as you can take the burning pain, which is similar to frostbite. Many times, this stupidity leads to severe injuries like the second-degree burns a 12-year-old boy from Pittsburgh sustained on his back last weekend, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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It’ll take several months for the unnamed boy to recover, but in an effort to alert other parents to this incredibly dangerous new fad, his family released this statement:
“We want teenagers and the general public to know that the ‘salt and ice challenge’ is extremely dangerous. Videos on You Tube, Facebook and other social media do not accurately show the terrible injuries that can result. We are grateful that our son is recovering and hope that sharing his story will stop other young people from attempting this stunt.”
Sadly, school officials and health experts in that area had already warned parents about the challenge and how it was gaining popularity among middle and high school students. This mean there’s been a lot of other incidents, although apparently none as severe as this one from what we know. Short of attaching a leash to your teen child so he can be next to you at all times, I guess the only thing left for you to do is to show them the gory images and explain in detail what this inane challenge can really do to him. I know I’ve said it before, but I am so NOT looking forward to raising teenagers!