There’s a new challenge on the Internet practically every month: the Mannequin Challenge, the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Running Man Challenge, etc. The list is endless as it’s easy for trends to gain popularity on Internet.
The Salt and Ice Challenge, for example, has been around for awhile. Kids find it entertaining to participate in but the results from the challenge are anything but entertaining.
We want to warn parents to keep an eye out for this one.
The challenge is called the “Salt and Ice Challenge.” You might have heard of it, as it’s been around since 2012 amongst teenagers on YouTube.
Kids rub salt and ice on their skin. The point of the challenge is to see how long the person can feel the burn from the salt and ice.
The kids would then post their reactions online. The most popular YouTube video of the challenge has over 6,500,000 views.
The challenge may sound simple and harmless at first, but it is indeed very dangerous. The amount of potential damage it can do the body is alarming.
The dangerous effects may not be initially visible until after the numbness and redness from the ice subsides. This is why people don’t realize how much they’re actually injuring themselves until it’s too late.
The combination of salt and ice creates a chemical reaction. Adding salt to ice lowers the temperature of ice to 1.4° Fahrenheit.
The burns from the challenge can be similar to frostbite or worse. Others have experienced second and third degree burns.
“Some of the pictures you’ll see on the internet and YouTube, those kids have third-degree burns,” said Brian Wagers, a pediatric physician at Riley Hospital.
“I mean it turns it to leather essentially. So you lose the blood vessels that are in there. You lose sensation, because of the nerve endings… You’ll never have like hair if you did it on your arms. So you’ll have a bald patch.”
Numerous children have recently been put in the hospital in England due to the challenge. As a result, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has announced a formal warning to parents.
“It’s important for schools keep a close eye on all emerging trends and we welcome the police’s warning to head teachers,” said a NSPCC spokesperson
“The rise of social media has contributed to increasing peer pressure amongst children and this ‘craze’ is another clear example of the risks.”
Huffington Post UK has come up with a few tips particularly for this situation.To help parents keep their kids from participating in the salt and ice challenge, they should follow the following four tips.
Tell your kids to say confidently say no to participating. Don’t hesitate, don’t give the idea even a second of thought. Say no.
Tell your kids to not judge others who do participate. What other kids do is their own business. Don’t judge and don’t get involved.
Make sure your kids are focused on spending time with friends who don’t do the challenge. Out of sight, out of mind.
Advise your kids to offer alternative suggestions when asked to do the challenge. There are plenty of other activities that are more safe and fun to do.
If you ever do find your child burned from the challenge, however, there are four specific instructions you should follow (according to the St. John Ambulance).
Treat the burns as soon as possible by running it under cool water. Keep the affected area under the running water for at least 10 minutes.
Don’t apply any ice, gels or creams! Any of these could create even more damage and cause an infection.
When the burn has cooled down, wrap and cover the affected area with saran wrap.
If your child has burns on his or her face, hands, feet, or larger than the size of the person’s hand — seek medical attention right away.
This challenge has been around for five years now, it’s time it’s finally been put an end to. Please help spread the message to other parents!
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