Is The Milk Crate Challenge A Sign We Have Gone Too Far? By An Internet Veteran

Here we go again.

If you've watched the news recently, you've heard about a new challenge on the internet called the Milk Crate Challenge. Opinions (especially from millennials and older) are not very positive. If you are Gen Z it is just a way to earn views on Tik Tok.

At least I will try to win a few claps by looking for a middle ground. I'm never sure what generation I'm a part of anyway (I'm 25). I feel too young for a millennial but Gen Z say I'm cheugy.

The good news is that I have been on the Internet for enough years to have seen almost everything. Especially the challenges, which have changed a lot over the years.

From lying face down on the floor to putting your life at risk

I remember the first challenges of the internet. In the days of planking, batmaning, and tebowing, everything seemed simpler.

The first consisted of lying face down motionless on all kinds of surfaces; tables, kitchen tops, and even doors. For batmaning you just had to hang upside down like a bat anywhere. And for Tebowing, you just had to strike the pose that NFL player Tim Tebow did to celebrate a touchdown.

Then came hundreds of thousands of challenges, some were very popular and some we already forgot. The Ice Bucket Challenge (which had a benign origin) and the Harlem Shake deserve mention.

Now, the spotlight is on the Milk Crate Challenge, which consists of crossing a pyramid made with milk crates. Which seems easy but is quite difficult, so many have fallen from up to 3 meters trying. Broken bones, hematomas, and many bumps can be seen when searching for the tag on Tik Tok. The App has banned that challenge and moms around the world are worried.

Is this something new?

Not at all. Dangerous challenges are as old as the Internet itself.

You shouldn't go too far back. Let's remember the Tide Pod Challenge, which convinced many people that it was a good idea to eat detergent (which is super toxic, by the way).

About three years ago, the Choking Challenge created havoc in schools. The guys choked to death and recorded it for a fun internet video. This caused the death of several children and teens.

It's like we have to remind people every six months that it's not a good idea to ingest harmful chemicals.

Is it a sign of mental illness?

Well, I am not a scientist or a licensed professional, but I dare say no.

From time to time, the behavior of adolescents or children is related to mental disorders or illnesses. Although, I don't deny that youth mental health is an important issue.

But honestly, any of us would have done one of those challenges as a teenager. It was only necessary that the internet had been fully developed back then as it is now.

If you are a parent and you are worried that your children may hurt themselves, just take a look at what they are seeing on the internet. You shouldn't be a controlling fascist parent, just be present in the conversation.

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