According to the ‘Children and Social Media Survey’, 84% of children between 8 and 12 use at least one social media, and these numbers reach 95% for teens. Following the recent stories on the dangers children encounter online, Bright Heart Education, a special educational needs tutoring company, analyzed trends most harmful for children and adolescents.
For each trend, Dr. Ryan Stevenson, Co-founder & Director at Bright Heart Education, considered the following categories: health and psychological risks, real-world incidents, and evidence-based parental guidance.
Key Highlights
- Viral skincare videos make children copy the genre, which can result in long-term skin damage.
- The biggest physical risk comes from online challenges like the Blackout or Fire Challenge, with children not understanding the potential consequences.
- Online gaming platform Roblox contains three threats in one, including potential gaming addiction, overspending on in-game items, and grooming.
Most Dangerous Trends Children Encounter Online
1. Sephora Kids
Skincare routines are one of the most popular trends online, but when children try to copy the TikTok videos, using adult body products, it may lead to physical harm. Products containing up to 1% retinol, an AHA concentration of 10% or more, or 20% Vitamin C cannot be used without adult or doctor’s guidance. An 11-year-old girl in California had to be treated for burning and blistering after she copied anti-ageing routines seen online.
“Limits can help, but skills matter just as much,” says Dr. Ryan Stevenson, Co-founder and Director at Bright Heart Education. “If children do see influencer content, it is better to watch together and ask, ‘Why are they showing this product?’ and ‘Who’s paying for this message?’”
2. Roblox
The modern internet offers few truly child-only spaces. While Roblox is often seen as a kids’ gaming platform, it’s used by a wide age range and includes sophisticated in-game currency and purchasing systems. It has also featured in reports involving overspending, scams, and inappropriate contact with children online.
“Gaming platforms can combine three risks in one: safeguarding, spending money, and excessive screen time,” says Dr. Ryan Stevenson, Co-founder and Director at Bright Heart Education. “Parental controls for chat and purchases are important, but it’s easy to overlook how quickly gaming can become compulsive. Clear, consistent limits help keep a hobby healthy.”
3. Blackout and Benadryl Challenge
Both of these challenges are promoted online as ‘legal’ methods to experience short-term highs or hallucinations, without the use of strong drugs. In the Blackout Challenge, multiple kids hurt themselves, trying to restrict the oxygen flow to the brain, while the Benadryl Challenge urges young people to take diphenhydramine (DHP), commonly found in products such as Benadryl and other OTC medications.
4. Fire Challenge
A child in Chicago was recently injured attempting the “Fire Challenge”, in which people set a hand on fire and try to put it out before it causes serious burns. Burns can leave lasting scars, and flames can spread quickly, especially if clothing or hair catches fire.
5. Bed Rotting
This trend began gaining traction in late 2023, and the phrase bed rotting is basically a catch-all term for the act of sitting in bed for an excessive amount of time and avoiding all other life responsibilities for as long as possible. According to Thred, the bed rotting escapism trend involves endless doomscrolling on the phone or other mobile devices, leaving the blinds down, and keeping contact with others to an absolute minimum.
As the bed rotting trend continues to gain traction among Gen Z and millennials, mental health experts are urging a balanced approach to self-care to prevent potential negative impacts on overall well-being.
6. Pingtok
#Pingtok is a dangerous trend on TikTok where teenagers film themselves under the influence of drugs, particularly MDMA (ecstasy), and share these experiences to gain views and attention. The term “ping” is slang for taking ecstasy, and the videos often feature close-ups of dilated pupils or grinding jaws.
The same pattern has appeared with resurfacing chroming and dusting challenges, where teens inhale toxic fumes despite prior bans on related hashtags. Some variations have resulted in fatal consequences.
Wrapping It Up
“Children and teenagers don’t always grasp the long-term consequences of what they’re enacting,” explains Dr. Ryan Stevenson, Co-founder and Director at Bright Heart Education. “Online videos can create a false sense of control, ‘it worked for them, so it’ll work for me.’”. Parental controls help, but conversations matter too: explain plainly what can go wrong, and why these ‘challenges’ are genuinely dangerous.”
This article was created at the WHN News Desk in collaboration with Ella Long on behalf of Bright Heart Education, an award-winning SEN-focused tutoring agency based in London, offering a more nurturing approach to tuition.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
