Following the increasing number of fatalities and injuries in the viral Skullbreaker Challenge on TikTok, the Bangkok police have asked citizens to refrain from the viral challenge or face punishment.
The tripping jump challenge, also known as Skullbreaker challenge, has gone viral among netizens, especially youngsters. The challenge involves three persons. Two of the participants jump first and ask the third one, placed in the middle, to jump later. When the middle one jumps, the other two standing on each side trip the middle one causing him to fall either backwards or forward on the floor.
The challenge that has gone viral on almost every social media platform including TikTok and WhatsApp, has often resulted in the third participant receiving serious injuries and in some cases death.
Causing injury may lead to fine and jail time
Warning netizens against participating in the viral challenge, the Thai police said it may lead to a jail term. Police Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen said those participating in the Tripping Jump Challenge may face prosecution and possible jail time as the prank can result in fatalities. "These actions should not be copied since it can result in injuries, disabilities, or even death," he added.
"The offenders could be prosecuted for physical assault which is punishable by two years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht. If the challenge leads to deaths, disabilities, or grievous bodily harm, punishment is raised to 10 years in jail."
Director of the Ministry of Health's Prasat Neurological Institute Thanin Vejjapinan said it is highly possible that the person who who falls on the ground might receive critical head injuries including cracked skull, cerebral hemorrhage, and in some extreme cases coma. "Warn your children not to play this dangerous game and stop sharing its videos. Most people doing it are teenagers who don't fully understand its risks," he said.
TikTok removes Skullbreaker Challenge videos
Following the public outcry, TikTok removed skullbreaker challenge videos from its platform by Monday. In a statement issued to Mothership, a Singapore-based TikTok spokesperson said: "The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok. As made clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, and this includes the skull breaker challenge. Our content moderation team is on the lookout and we will remove any such content promptly."
Though it is still uncertain when and where the challenge originated, it has gone viral in the last week.
