A young Florida boy is lucky to be alive after burning 35 percent of his body in a TikTok fire challenge.
According to People Magazine, 12-year-old Nick Howell is warning people about the risks involved with social media challenges.
“You shouldn’t try everything you see on social media,” he told People. “It won’t go well. I want to tell people not to be a follower, but to be a leader.”
In Oct. 2020, Nick was sitting outside of his grandmother’s house in Miami with his siblings and cousins. The kids were talking about the fire challenge which involves pouring an accelerant on oneself and then lighting the fire.
“I poured a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the (concrete) floor, lit it and put it out,” Nick recalled. “But I guess the bottle had caught on fire, and it exploded. I started burning.”
He frantically ran toward help and family members were able to spray him down with the water hose.
“It was horrible,” explained his mother, Estela Guillen. “It was heartbreaking, devastating … and traumatic.”
Nick was flown to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital where he endured months of medical procedures and 50 surgeries to repair his injured boby.
His mother said the experience affected her and how she raises her children.
“His accident opened up my eyes in many ways, but especially in my own parenting,” Guillen said. “You think you’re vigilant, but that’s clearly not enough. We have to make our children understand that there are really real-life consequences to these challenges.”
Tiktok updated its Community Guidelines in February, stating, “We do not permit users to share content depicting, promoting, normalizing or glorifying dangerous acts that may lead to serious injury or death.
In December, CBN News reported on a viral TikTok trend known as the “devious licks” challenge.
Middle school, high school, and college students are encouraged to act inappropriately or damage school property between September and July, then post the incident on the app.
“The devious lick challenge is a series of challenges that center around types of vandalism,” explained CBN’s Digital Lifestyle Contributor, Caleb Kinchlow. “What we’re seeing across the country are students who are stealing class supplies, completely destroying bathrooms. Educators across the country are really concerned about this. They’re sending out notices to parents to be aware and talk to their students.”
Parents are encouraged to become familiar with social media challenges and discuss the dangers with their children at home.
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