Alright, buckle up, internet explorers! Once upon a time, TikTok was all about short, sweet, and genuinely funny clips. It was a digital playground where creativity reigned, and harmless dances often went viral. But somewhere along the line, something shifted, and now, it feels like we’ve officially hit rock bottom – or, as some might say, “Tok bottom.”
These days, scrolling through the video-sharing app often means stumbling upon a bizarre parade of folks who, in their relentless pursuit of social media clout, are willing to risk their reputations, their health, and sometimes, even their lives. It’s like Snapchat decided to team up with the “Jackass” crew, and the results are, well, pretty wild. The app’s incredibly effective (and slightly terrifying) eyeball-seeking algorithm means that once a dangerous trend starts, it’s almost impossible to stop it from metastasizing across the entire internet, infecting feed after feed with its peculiar brand of chaos.
We’re talking about challenges so ludicrous, so utterly bonkers, that they genuinely make you wonder if we need to have a serious chat about a TikTok ban. To give you a taste of the absolute madness that has captivated the digital world, we’ve rounded up some of the most bewildering and outright dangerous internet challenges people actually tried. Get ready to shake your head and maybe even shout, “What were they thinking?!”
1. **“Fairy flying”**Starting off our list with a trend that sounds deceptively innocent, the #fairyflying challenge swept across TikTok, encouraging millions of users to create videos that, upon closer inspection, were deeply disturbing. Imagine floating gracefully in mid-air, but with a crucial, unsettling detail: your head is conveniently out of the frame. Sounds whimsical, right? Not quite, especially when you consider the dark undertones.
Mental health professionals quickly raised alarm bells, pointing out that these videos, despite their magical name, could be tragically misinterpreted. Many compared the shocking imagery to fake “suicide-by-hanging” videos, where headless bodies appear to sway lifelessly in the air, creating a chilling illusion. The comparison alone highlights the profound insensitivity and potential harm of such a trend, regardless of its original intent.
Participants in this viral challenge, which amassed an incredible 66 million views, often achieved their sensational illusion through relatively simple means. The trick involved standing on a dresser or a similar elevated surface, with Crocs or other easily identifiable footwear dangling off the back of their heels, just out of shot, creating the impression of a body suspended. This simple visual cue, combined with the camera angle, was enough to fuel the deeply concerning trend.
Dr. Josh Stein, an adolescent psychiatrist for Newport Healthcare’s PrairieCare program, articulated the profound concern: “The #fairyflying trend could be triggering or bring about negative emotions for people who have experienced suicidal ideation or have loved ones who’ve attempted or committed suicide.” It’s a stark reminder that what might seem like a harmless digital prank can have very real, very painful consequences for vulnerable individuals.
Adding to this, Alicia D. Akins, Ph.D., a mental health counselor specializing in teens, emphasized the inherent risk, stating that the #fairyflying trend is “especially dangerous for those already experiencing mental health problems because ‘we mimic what we see, watch and are shown.’” This highlights how easily impressionable minds, particularly those already struggling, can be swayed by viral content, turning a digital stunt into a potentially harmful real-world action.
2. **NyQuil Chicken or “Sleepy Chicken”**Ah, TikTok. The land of endless possibilities, including some truly questionable culinary experiments. When it comes to literal recipes for disaster, few can hold a candle to the utterly hare-brained “NyQuil Chicken” trend, affectionately (and ominously) dubbed “Sleepy Chicken.” This viral sensation involved basting a perfectly innocent chicken in the cold and allergy medicine NyQuil, transforming a common household remedy into a deeply concerning dinner ingredient.
Presumably, the masterminds behind this avian-inspired concoction aimed to tackle two problems at once: curing sleepiness and preventing peckishness. Kill two birds with one stone, or in this case, marinate one bird in a veritable jacuzzi of liquid cold medicine. Viral videos showcasing amateur chefs whipping up batches of this alternative medicine circulated widely, depicting chicken breasts luxuriating in a vibrant green pool of NyQuil, which, for the record, contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan HBr, and doxylamine succinate.
Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not amused. They swiftly issued a warning against this “bird-brained creation,” highlighting that it was dangerous not only to ingest but also to prepare. The process of boiling medication, they explained, can drastically alter its properties and make it far more concentrated, leading to unforeseen and potentially harmful effects on the body.
“Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways,” the government health organization explained in its stern advisory. They further warned, “It could also hurt your lungs. Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.” It’s a chilling thought that a quest for internet virality could lead to such severe health risks, all for a dubious chicken dish.
3. **Gorilla Glue girl**While not strictly a “challenge” in the traditional sense, the saga of Louisiana’s Tessica Brown undoubtedly earned her a permanent, albeit sticky, spot on TikTok stupidity’s Mount Rushmore. Her unfortunate mishap involved slathering her hair with industrial-strength Gorilla Glue, an adhesive decidedly not meant for human coiffures. The result? Her hair was permanently (or so it seemed) affixed, leading to a desperate plea for help that quickly went viral.
Brown’s predicament was so severe that it ultimately required a four-hour surgical procedure to remove the powerful adhesive and free her scalp. It was a harrowing ordeal that served as a stark, if somewhat unbelievable, cautionary tale for anyone contemplating alternative hair products. The sheer absurdity of the situation captured the internet’s attention, making her a temporary celebrity for all the wrong reasons.
However, in a twist that perhaps only the internet could deliver, this cautionary tale didn’t quite stick as intended. Instead of deterring others, Brown’s adhesive fiasco remarkably landed her over $20,000 in donations, a bounty of free hair products, and even a full-time agent. This unexpected windfall, unfortunately, seemed to inadvertently encourage an imitator, proving that sometimes, even the most disastrous viral moments can have unintended, and perhaps even rewarding, consequences for those involved.
It highlights a peculiar aspect of internet fame: sometimes, the bigger the blunder, the larger the spotlight. While most people would shy away from such a public display of misfortune, Brown’s story became a bizarre testament to the unpredictable nature of viral content, where even a mistake can be leveraged for unexpected opportunities, though certainly not a recommended path to success.
4. **DIY vampire fangs**Speaking of super glue and questionable decisions, Halloween revelers took their costume game to a whole new (and utterly ill-advised) level with the DIY vampire fangs trend. This seasonal sensation saw individuals supergluing costume vampire fangs directly to their teeth, all in the name of a truly authentic, albeit incredibly dangerous, spooky look. The cringe-worthy clips flooded TikTok, quickly amassing over 9 million views under the hashtag #VampireFangs.
These viral videos depicted a series of bozos (their words, not ours!) struggling mightily to remove their faux chompers after fastening them with a variety of strong adhesives. We’re talking Super Glue, nail glue, and other bonding agents that are absolutely not meant for dental work. The horror wasn’t just in the fangs themselves, but in the frantic, often painful, attempts to pry them off, showing the immediate repercussions of such a bad idea.
Naturally, dentists, being the experts on, well, teeth, were quick to advise against this practice with urgent warnings. They pointed out the obvious: nail glue, in particular, is “poisonous and won’t come off” once applied to a tooth. The thought of ingesting even tiny amounts of such a chemical, or having it stuck in your mouth for an extended period, is enough to make anyone wince, yet people still tried it.
Beyond the toxicity, these adhesives can cause severe damage to tooth enamel, leading to chips, cracks, and even the need for extensive dental repair. What started as a fun, albeit misguided, costume hack quickly became a dental nightmare, illustrating yet another example of how internet trends can lead people down a path of wholly avoidable self-harm, all for a few seconds of viral glory during spooky season.
5. **Tooth filing**If you thought supergluing fangs to your teeth was peak dental madness, then prepare yourself for the next entry in our list of toothless TikTok challenges. DIY vampire fangs, as alarming as they were, truly pale in comparison to the sheer audacity of amateur cosmeticians taking nail files to their very own chompers. Yes, you read that right: people were literally filing down their teeth with nail files.
For the uninitiated (and lucky) among us, this trend involved various self-proclaimed dental remodelers attempting to “fix” their uneven smiles. Their chosen tool? A simple nail file, used to sand their snack-slicers down to size. It was, in essence, the bargain-bin, DIY equivalent of an enameloplasty—a professional reshaping procedure involving careful enamel removal that would typically be performed by a qualified cosmetic dentist in a sterile environment.
However, unlike the legitimate dental procedure, these freelance molar makeovers sparked an immediate and furious outcry from the entire dental community. The consensus was clear: this was an incredibly destructive practice that could lead to irreversible damage. Dentists worldwide were horrified by the casual disregard for oral health displayed in these viral clips, and rightly so.
Dr. Chad Evans, co-founder of Texas-based Smile Magic Family Dental, minced no words when condemning the trend: “You’re doing irreparable damage and destruction to your teeth.” He emphasized that once enamel is removed, it’s gone forever. This challenge highlighted the alarming willingness of internet users to undergo drastic, self-inflicted cosmetic procedures without any professional guidance, showcasing a profound misunderstanding of basic dental health and the irreversible nature of tooth damage.
6. **Face wax challenge**Ready for a beauty fad that’s equal parts fascinating and deeply disturbing? The full facial waxing challenge absolutely took TikTok by storm, with videos of the procedure collectively amassing millions of views. But this isn’t your grandma’s eyebrow wax; this is a full-on, horror-movie-level experience that had skin experts clutching their pearls.
Demonstrated by establishments like Kapsalon Freedom barbershop in the Netherlands, the procedure involved caking a patient’s entire face – and we mean *entire* face – with gloopy green wax. This wasn’t just a patch here or there; it covered everything, including the eyes, making the subject look less like they were getting a spa treatment and more like a mold was being cast for a new exhibit in the “House of Wax” horror movie. Adding to the bizarre spectacle, wax-dipped Q-Tips were even stuck into their nostrils to extract pesky nasal hairs, leaving no facial surface untouched.
The grand finale of this beauty nightmare involved the rogue beautician peeling the entire wax application off the subject’s face in one seamless, terrifying piece, much like a slasher villain removing their mask. The visual alone is enough to make anyone wince, but the implications for skin health are far more serious than just a fleeting moment of discomfort for viral content.
Skin experts were quick to label the process as nothing short of “traumatic for the skin, especially sensitive areas such as those found around the eyes.” The delicate skin in these areas is particularly susceptible to damage, irritation, and even severe bruising or tearing from such an aggressive procedure. It’s a stark reminder that some trends, especially those involving drastic physical alterations, are far from harmless fun and can lead to lasting consequences for the pursuit of a fleeting viral moment.
