“It is always advisable to err on the side of caution, particularly when it comes to head injuries”
THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Education has discouraged and condemned online challenges and dares that are putting the lives of pupils in danger.
Department spokesperson Lehuma Ntuane said yesterday that although the provincial department had not received any reports of pupils doing “crazy things” to obtain likes and reactions on social media videos, it cautioned pupils not to be misled or incited to partake or try out any “challenge” that may put their lives in danger.
This comes after a new “challenge”, the Skullbreaker, has gone viral.
According to various news reports from around the globe, the Skullbreaker challenge could be the most dangerous yet.
Over the past couple of days, videos have been doing the rounds showing one person jumping, who is then tripped by two others on either side. The result is the “willing” victim falling flat on their back.
The challenge first surfaced on TikTok.
Concern has been expressed about the dangers of the challenge.
“Gaming challenges such as Skullbreaker have been going around the internet in recent years. Such challenges being attempted by kids on a whim are mostly cropping up on TikTok. There have been several reports that people have sustained serious injuries simply by attempting these challenges,” concerned authorities have posted on social media.
“Parents, school authorities and fellow students should exercise extreme caution to ensure that such life-threatening gaming challenges are not performed by people including our children,” they further noted.
Warnings have been issued that the Skullbreaker challenge could lead to massive head trauma and injuries.
Dr Bianca Visser, an emergency medicine practitioner at Netcare’s Unitas Hospital, urged parents to seek medical attention if their child receives a blow to the head.
“It is always advisable to err on the side of caution, particularly when it comes to head injuries,” she said.
“It is vital that a medical professional assesses the child to determine whether there are no symptoms of a concussion at all, a possible concussion or something even more serious like a broken bone in the skull, a bruised brain or a bleed in or around the brain.
“My advice to parents is to contact your doctor and have a medical professional assess your child as soon as possible, if you are at all concerned about a head injury that your child has sustained.
“It is also important for parents to receive information on how to further manage a head injury such as a concussion at home, to prevent potential long-term consequences,” Visser advised.
