Young people pay a high price for racing to catch up with weird trends on social networks.

Social networks are increasingly popular with many trends that bring joy and connection to the community. However, there are also many trends that are toxic, strange, and even dangerous to participants.

Toxic trends on the internet cause unpredictable consequences

One of the most recent examples is the "pen catching" trend that is currently popular on social network TikTok. In this game, a person will press hard on both sides of the blood vessels in the neck of another person to seek a feeling of euphoria or fake "high". What is worrying is that many young people have joined this trend just to gain a few seconds of fame on social networks.

The feeling of pleasure only lasts for a few seconds but will cause unpredictable consequences such as cerebral anemia. When the brain is not supplied with enough blood, it leads to fainting or even brain damage. The "pen catching" trend also causes the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, in some serious cases it can even lead to death.

Social networks have also seen all sorts of trends with unique dishes such as milk tea mixed with green onions, century egg coffee, causing many young people to compete to follow the trend. These videos often attract millions of views thanks to their "unique" nature but pose serious health risks.

Health experts warn that unprocessed trendy foods, unsafe drink mixes, or extreme eating challenges pose a high risk of allergies, digestive problems, and can be dangerous to health.

Or the trend of breaking dragon knives (spring folding bars for hand training) that was widely shared on social networks in November 2023 also made many parents worried. These dragon knives have a bending force of 20kg to 120kg. It is worth noting that adults carelessly use these spring bars to challenge children who are only a few years old, without knowing that they pose unpredictable dangers.

Initially, this was just a game on social networks, but this challenge quickly turned into dangerous actions when children participated in it. For example, a boy in Hanoi had to be rushed to the emergency room with a swollen face, many bruises on his nose, a deformed right nose, and a broken nose due to participating in the challenge of breaking a 30 kg "dragon knife" at school.

No less dangerous is the trend of "virtual living" on the street. Some groups of people brazenly occupy the street to film clips to "attract views" and "live virtual". Although everyone is aware that filming virtual living clips on the street can obstruct traffic and endanger both the challengers and passersby, some young people still foolishly try it just to make people laugh or attract attention.

In August, the trend of checking in with surveillance cameras by Gen Z in Hanoi was condemned. Young people posed for photos with the hope that surveillance cameras would capture the moment. Then, through the iHanoi application, young people easily extracted their images, cut them into clips and posted them on Tiktok and Facebook to attract attention.

However, this trend has created substandard behavior, even violating the law. Some people even proposed to punish those who check-in at surveillance camera locations, because gathering on the street will cause danger and disrupt traffic safety.

Young people risk their lives to attract attention

Social media is not only a place where toxic trends are born, but also a tool to quickly spread these negative trends. With the rapid spread of information, weird challenges can easily reach the young user community, who may lack life experience and the ability to judge right from wrong.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Principal of the University of Education, said that these toxic trends attract young people to participate because they appeal to their desire to be recognized and express themselves.

"These trends are variations of youth's behavior of wanting to create trends or mischief without considering the consequences. Young people are curious or enticed, not managed or guided by their families, so they want to create something to attract attention and social recognition without realizing that there are many dangerous risks behind it," the expert added.

Toxic trends not only cause physical harm to participants but also negatively affect the psychology and cognition of young people. Risky, thoughtless actions can have long-term psychological consequences, increasing the risk of depression and anxiety.

In addition, focusing too much on temporary trends also causes many young people to neglect their studies and other positive activities. The rapid obsolescence of these trends also leads to a feeling of disappointment and pressure when they cannot keep up with the next trends.

In addition, according to Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, it is necessary to encourage young people to apply measures to control the time spent on social networks, creating a balance between real life and the virtual world. Social networking platforms should also create safer policies and environments to minimize harmful trends. Social networking platforms also need to have stronger measures in censoring and removing harmful content.

The fact that young people follow toxic and bizarre trends on social networks is a major concern for today's society. Therefore, every social network user needs to equip themselves with the ability to distinguish between healthy entertainment content and potentially dangerous trends. Correct awareness is the key for young people to protect themselves, take advantage of the benefits that social networks bring without having to pay the price of unpredictable consequences.