A condom-snorting challenge gaining notoriety on social media is a bad idea that can cause medical problems, according to medical professionals.
The challenge, which has been taking place off social media since at least 2007, has suddenly gained traction online, The Washington Post reported. In the condom-snorting challenge, participants are encouraged to inhale a condom through their noses and down their throats, where they grab it and pull it out.
Although the videos of teens attempting this challenge are being removed from social media when they are discovered, more continue to crop up almost daily.
It is rare that an incident occurs when a condom is inhaled intentionally, but a few mishaps have been reported due to accidental inhalation, the Post reported.
One woman accidentally inhaled a condom into her lungs, leading one to collapse because the condom was blocking the airway, the Post reported. Another woman accidentally swallowed the condom and it blocked her appendix, leading to appendicitis.
State education specialist Stephen Enriquez has visited schools to share this disturbing practice with parents so they can be aware of what children may be doing, KABB reported.
“These days our teens are doing everything for likes, views and subscribers,” Enriquez said. “As graphic as it is, we have to show parents because teens are going online looking for challenges and recreating them.”
The condom-snorting trend follows several other dangerous online challenges including the cinnamon challenge, in which students try to swallow a tablespoon of dry cinnamon with no water, and the Tide pod challenge, in which students try to eat as many Tide pods as they can in a short period of time.
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