Inside the Teen 'Condom Challenge' Craze
It seems that every few months, teens jump on a new risky stunt that goes viral on social media, from the Cinnamon Challenge to the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge to planking.
The latest potentially dangerous stunt that’s sweeping the Internet is called the “Condom Challenge,” in which teens drop tied-off condoms filled with water on top of people’s heads and post the videos online.
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The trend appears to have started with a video called “Japanese Condom Head Challenge,” according to Business Insider Australia. The video, which was uploaded in mid-November, currently has more than 470,000 views. The challenge already has a Twitter account with more than 55,000 followers.
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According to a post from the Condom Challenge’s Twitter account, the stunt is supposed to show how strong condoms are and that saying the condom broke isn’t “an excuse” for unintended pregnancy. But a broken condom isn’t the only reason why condoms have a typical failure rate of 18 percent, per the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
A study on college-age men published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases found that 43 percent put on condoms too late — after starting sex — while 30 percent put on condoms upside down and then flip them over, which can expose women to pre-ejaculate that puts them at risk for an unintended pregnancy. Another 15 percent removed the condom before they’d finished having sex.
As with many of these viral Internet stunts, the Condom Challenge has its own risks, including a possible choking hazard or drowning if the condom gets stuck over the participant’s mouth and nose. So why do teens and college kids try these tricks?
Part of it is because they don’t believe that anything bad will happen to them. “In adolescence, there’s a feeling of invincibility,” Judith Tellerman, Ph.D., clinical professor of psychology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and clinical psychologist in private practice in Chicago, tells Yahoo Parenting. “That has to do with the fact that the brain is still developing. The judgment part doesn’t develop until the end of adolescence, around 24 years old. Impulsivity is also a factor in teen life. It’s all about ‘the now’ and then they get in trouble.”
Tellerman notes that adolescence is also about testing your mettle and these stunts, however dicey, challenge teens to prove themselves. “You’re still untested and finding your identity,” she says. “It’s not knowing if you’re going to succeed that makes you want to challenge yourself to see what you can do and to distinguish yourself.”
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She encourages teens to stop and think for a minute before participating in a dangerous Internet stunt. “If you’re going to risk your life, is it really worth it? When you do a prank that may end up [costing you your life], what did you do it for?”
Instead, Tellerman recommends that teens channel their energy into less risky ways to prove themselves. “Adolescents have the guts, initiative, and spirit to do all of these challenges, but stop and think about what you are doing,” she says. “You were put on this earth for a reason. You are special. Maybe you can channel that into something better. Find a way to help others, even just by being kind to someone. That’s more valuable than a prank.”
(Photos: Twitter)
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