Minister warns against dangerous viral video challenge

ISTANBUL

A viral video challenge has caused widespread concern and reactions from parents and authorities in Turkey.

The trend, originated in Spain and that went viral on the video-sharing application TikTok, involves three participants standing side by side and two tripping up the one standing in the middle from the feet before jumping in the air.

Turkish Education Minister Ziya Selçuk warned against the challenge, saying it can pose serious dangers.

“A game is spreading among young people, where three people jump side by side and two trip up the one standing in the middle to make them fall down,” Selçuk said in a tweet on Feb. 19.

“We have made announcements to our schools, but let’s explain to young people that this cannot be a game and a joke, it can lead to brain damage,” he added. TikTok said that such videos will not be allowed on the platform.

“As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury. We will remove any such reported content,” it said in a statement.

TikTok was one of the fastest-growing applications last year, ranking as the most downloaded app in Turkey, with a userbase of nearly 30 million people.