Let’s Stop the Hazardous TikTok Challenges
First it was salt and ice, then cinnamon, then chicken. What's next?
(Fabian Sommer via Getty Images)
Foolish and dangerous challenges have been around for years, but because of social media it is harder for these challenges to get less exposure. In turn, they become trendy.
Years ago, Gen Z as pre-teens may remember when Instagram users participated in the salt and ice challenge that caused second and third-degree burns and the cinnamon challenge that caused mouth, nose and throat irritation. After all, IG isn’t the only platform to showcase these dangerous challenges.
Recently, a “dangerous” challenge called “Sleepy Chicken” has been surfacing the For You pages of TikTok.
“I don’t enjoy watching these challenges, but I only watch them because they pop up on my For You Page on TikTok, and I become curious,” said Makyla Allen, a 20-year-old from Suggesville, Alabama.
On Jan. 16, Jimmy Fallon joked about the “Sleepy Chicken” challenge on his talk show.
It all began when a Twitter user tweeted an unusual picture of chicken drenched in NyQuil in 2017.
The challenge consists of “seasoning” chicken in NyQuil.
A TikTok user, @igrobflo, also used weird objects such as a hair straightener to flip the chicken while it is cooking. Pouring the NyQuil on the chicken is believed to cure sickness, which in fact, is scientifically incorrect.
According to a Tyla interview, “Cooking chicken in NyQuil will not provide you with any medicinal benefit and could also be dangerous,” said superintendent pharmacist at Medical Direct, Hussain Abdeh.
Like most Gen Zers, 21-year-old Jardaisha Williams spends a lot of time on her phone, mostly on TikTok.
“Personally, I watch the videos because I always want to see the outcome. I also enjoy seeing how people’s minds work,” said Williams from Gainestown, Alabama.
Williams said the challenges serve her no purpose, and she only watches them out of boredom.