{"id":118876,"date":"2021-03-15T14:23:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T21:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/?p=118876"},"modified":"2025-08-20T02:46:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:46:31","slug":"tiktok-update-dangerous-viral-challenges-age-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/tiktok-update-dangerous-viral-challenges-age-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"TikTok Update: Dangerous Viral Challenges & Age Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

TikTok Update: Dangerous Viral Challenges & Age Restrictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s popular. It\u2019s uplifting. It\u2019s creative. It\u2019s entertaining. It can also be risky.<\/p>\n

All these words equally describe TikTok, the wildly popular social network that allows teens to create and share videos and find critical connections during isolating times. So what makes TikTok both amazing and potentially risky at the same time? It isn\u2019t the app itself but, rather, the way some kids choose to use it.<\/p>\n

Several of those risky behaviors making headlines lately include the all-too-familiar topic of viral challenges. The secondary risk? Underage users’ common practice<\/a> of bypassing TikTok\u2019s age restrictions, which can put them in harm\u2019s way. In 2020, TikTok classified more than a third of its 49 million daily users in the U.S. as being 14 years old or younger.<\/p>\n

A recent webinar hosted by Cyberwise<\/a> featuring Rick Andreoli, Editor-in-Chief at\u00a0Parentology<\/a>, and Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, highlighted the risks of some of the latest challenges. (Listen to the full discussion here<\/a>). Here are just a few of the many challenges parents should know about.<\/p>\n

Popular TikTok Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The blackout challenge. <\/strong>The draw to this challenge is somewhat new to TikTok but familiar in the online challenge realm. It involves users live-streaming themselves as they cut off their air supply to the point of losing consciousness. Sadly, this challenge recently had deadly consequences for a 10-year-old TikTok user, according to Newsweek reports<\/a>. The incident prompted an outcry for the platform to ban users with unconfirmed ages.<\/p>\n

Skullbreaker\/trip jump challenge.<\/strong> TikTok users carry out this challenge in various ways, but one of the most common includes three friends side-by-side. As the video begins, everyone jumps or dances as pre-planned, only one kid is targeted to go down as the other two swipe the legs out from under them, causing either a face plant or a backward fall. This popular challenge has resulted in several medical emergencies.<\/p>\n

The outlet or penny challenge.<\/strong> Fire officials have issued public cautions around this challenge, which involves sliding a penny into a partially plugged-in phone charger or cord. The goal? See who can record and post the biggest sparks or, yes, flames.<\/p>\n

Coronavirus challenge.<\/strong> Here\u2019s a challenge that thankfully didn\u2019t gain too much traction before TikTok banned it. It was created by several \u201cinfluencers\u201d and encouraged TikTok users to post videos of themselves defying the Coronavirus by licking public objects \u2014 such as toilets and grocery store items.<\/p>\n

TikTok Safety Basics \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n