5 Viral Challenges You Should Never Ever Try

What: Chinese netizens have been stuffing lollipops fashioned like light bulbs into their mouths — yup, the entire thing. The Candy Light Bulb Challenge took off after a scene from Chinese TV series, Emergency Medicine Specialist, depicted a man with a light bulb stuck in his mouth. These cost about $7 on Taobao, but before you add to cart, read on.

What went wrong: It all looks freakishly impressive, in a circus audition sorta way. But concerns were raised when Chinese online celebrity Xu Fanchi posted a video in which she was unable to remove the candy bulb from her mouth for five minutes, and only managed to work it free after the caramel began to melt. “Most people are able to open their mouth to about 4cm wide, while the bulb-shaped candy has a diameter of 6cm,” one doctor said.

Health implications: The lower jaw could dislocate if the candy stays in the mouth for more than a few hours. The sweets could also cause choking and even suffocation, and its sugar levels could be harmful for diabetic patients.

What: The Cinnamon Challenge that went viral from 2011 to 2014 involved eating a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under a minute non-stop. It was such a hit that it was even aired on reality show Big Brother UK in 2011.

What went wrong: This is not how you add spice to your life. On YouTube, people have been seen coughing, choking and reaching for water, as friends watch and laugh. In the first three months of 2012, American poison control centres received over 100 phone calls as a result of the challenge. A high school student spent four days in a hospital post-challenge; in July 2015, a four-year-old boy died of asphyxiation after ingesting cinnamon.

Health Implications: Cinnamon sounds harmless, but when taken in large doses there is a risk of gagging as the powder may clump and clog the airways. Cinnamon can also cause inflammation of the lungs, resulting in infections, coughing, and (more) gagging. Nasal tissues can also be damaged or irritated by the compound cinnamaldehyde present in cinnamon.

What: When youngsters discovered that pouring salt on the skin and then placing an ice cube on top causes a burning sensation, they thought they’d found gold — as in, 15-seconds-of-Internet-fame gold. Surfacing in 2012, the Salt and Ice Challenge was a show of challenging people’s pain threshold and quickly went viral.

What went wrong: A 12-year-old boy from the US got second-degree burns, while one boy from the UK was so badly burned he had to undergo a skin graft.

Health Implications: The mixture of ice and salt results in a temperature as low as -18 °C, and causes second- and third- degree injuries, similar to frostbite. What’s worse is that because of numbness, participants rarely know the extent of their injuries until it’s too late.

What: The Tide Pod Challenge is the latest online phenom which sees teens posting vids of themselves eating candy-sized Tide laundry detergent capsules, before challenging others to do the same.

What went wrong: Kids, swallowing squishy fragrant pouches of soap doesn’t impress your friends — it could kill you (obvs). People who have ingested these pods have reported excessive vomiting, breathing problems and more. Poison control centres in the US have received more than 10,500 calls of children exposed to the pods at press time. Ten people have reportedly died from eating Tide pods.

Health implications: Seriously, do we really need to spell it out? We will, anyway. Innocent-looking Tide pods actually contain dangerous chemicals that, according to reports, can cause loss of consciousness, coma, fluid in the lungs and cardiac arrest. The Tide Pods guys have had to put out a PSA that they probably never thought they’d need to: “What should Tide PODs be used for? DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else.”