Viral Social Media Challenges And Basketballs

I often say that if I had a dollar for every stupid thing I did as a teenage boy, I’d be a rich man. The boys in my neighborhood fed off of each other with our foolishness, and issuing dares to each other was a common occurrence. I would say that it’s a wonder none of us ever got hurt, but that wouldn’t be truthful on my part. Boys are still boys in today’s world. But the dares have ramped up a bit with the advent of social media and the dares and challenges that go viral. I recently read about one more viral challenge parents should be aware of. This one involves overinflating a basketball and filming it so that the moment the ball blows up can be shared online. But is this safe? Judging from one thirteen year old’s experience the answer is no. The video of the Missouri teen features the sound of the exploding ball and the moment the boy injured his hand, had damage to his eyes, and temporarily lost his hearing. Parents, warn your kids about viral challenges like these.