Banned Viral Challenges: A History of Internet Hazards

A shocking trend where users attempted to eat laundry detergent pods, mimicking the colorful packaging of candy. This dangerous stunt led to numerous hospitalizations and prompted social media giants to ban related hashtags and content to protect public health.

An alleged hoax involving a menacing statue urging children to self-harm or complete dangerous tasks. Although debunked by authorities, the viral fear caused widespread panic, leading to temporary restrictions on related imagery and discussions across major platforms.

Participants attempted to drink large amounts of baking soda to cause excessive burping, risking severe electrolyte imbalances and stomach rupture. The challenge was swiftly removed from platforms after medical experts warned of potential cardiac arrest and fatal consequences.

A terrifying trend where teens would choke themselves to induce fainting, seeking the adrenaline rush of near-death experiences. This resulted in multiple fatalities and permanent brain damage, leading to immediate global bans and severe legal repercussions for promoters.

Inspired by a viral video, users held their breath until they blacked out while watching their own reflection. The stunt caused permanent brain damage in several cases, prompting YouTube and TikTok to remove videos demonstrating the act due to extreme health risks.

Participants tried to swallow a teaspoon of dry cinnamon within sixty seconds without water, causing choking and lung inflammation. The trend gained massive traction but was banned on many platforms after videos showed users coughing violently and requiring medical attention.

Users attempted to swallow raw eggs whole, a feat requiring significant skill that often resulted in choking or ingestion of shell fragments. The trend was widely ridiculed and subsequently restricted after reports of participants ending up in emergency rooms with severe injuries.

Participants would hit their skulls against walls or cars with increasing force, believing pain would diminish over time. This dangerous behavior led to concussions and skull fractures, causing social media platforms to remove associated content for promoting self-harm.

Users would set their hair on fire and attempt to extinguish it themselves, mimicking scenes from movies. The stunt resulted in severe scalp burns and eye injuries, leading to a swift crackdown by platforms to prevent further accidental disfigurement and trauma.

A variant of the blackout challenge involving self-choking to achieve a trance-like state, named after a YouTuber who survived it. Despite the creator's warnings, copycats suffered brain damage, leading to widespread demonetization and removal of such videos.

Following the initial detergent trend, users dyed laundry pods pink or blue to make them appear more like candy. This evolution of the dangerous trend continued to pose poisoning risks, reinforcing platform policies against any content encouraging ingestion of household chemicals.

Users attempted to swallow a large slice of pavlova cake in one bite without chewing, often causing choking hazards. While less lethal than other challenges, it led to public health warnings and removal of content that promoted unsafe eating practices online.

Participants tried to keep a plastic milk bottle cap inside their mouths for the longest time, risking aspiration or suffocation. The trend was deemed unnecessary and risky, leading platforms to suppress videos that could inspire imitation among young, impressionable viewers.

Involving spinning a bottle cap on one's head using breath, this stunt carried risks of falling and head injury. Although less severe than choking challenges, it was moderated on several platforms to reduce the spread of potentially harmful physical dares.

Users attempted to sleep for extended periods without waking, often using drugs or physical restraint to induce unconsciousness. This trend posed immediate risks of overdose or asphyxiation, leading to emergency interventions and permanent bans on related instructional content.

A broad category of trends where individuals restrict airflow to experience euphoria, ranging from neck squeezes to breath holding. These activities have resulted in numerous deaths, prompting strict algorithmic suppression and community guideline enforcement across all major social networks.

Users attempted to break objects, including their own hands, to mimic the fictional character's strength. This trend led to fractured bones and permanent hand injuries, causing platforms to intervene and remove videos that glorified destructive and self-injurious behavior.

Participants would slam their hands or fingers in closing elevator doors, testing pain tolerance or seeking attention. The trend resulted in crushed fingers and nerve damage, leading to public health advisories and the removal of content encouraging such physical risks.

Users tied complex knots in their hair while moving quickly, aiming to create tangled results for comedic effect. While mostly harmless, some variants led to hair loss and scalp abrasions, resulting in content reviews for safety rather than outright bans in most cases.

Competitions to see who could hold a plank position the longest, often leading to physical strain and injury. While generally safe, extreme iterations involving added weights caused muscle tears, prompting platforms to discourage dangerous variations that prioritized fame over health.