Authorities in several Balkan countries are voicing concern over the number of children and teenagers needing medical attention after taking part in a so-called ‘Superman Challenge’ on TikTok.
Dozens of children in several Balkan countries have been injured in recent weeks after taking part in a new challenge on TikTok called Flying Superman, during which, doctors warn, they risk breaking arms, legs or spines.
In the challenge, the participant is thrown into the air by friends and “flies” in a Superman pose before landing, imitating a jump into the sea. However, minor or serious injuries can occur during landings.
The mother of one 12-year-old from the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, who injured his hand while doing the challenge on Monday, told BIRN that her son told them later that he had wanted to try the game with his friends because it didn’t seem dangerous.
“He told us that after we finished the doctor’s examination and when we began to investigate in detail how he got hurt in the gym, and where the teacher was,” she said.
“We were shocked. We thought there was no possibility that a child with whom so many challenges are discussed on social networks … who hears every day how dangerous it all is, and who has parental supervision, could get into that situation,” she added.
Montenegrin police on Wednesday warned about the risks of the new challenge, without specifying how many children have been injured in it so far.
“We call on parents to talk with their children about the dangers, violence and self-destructive behaviour that encourages the aforementioned challenge, as well as all other similar activities on social networks.
“It is necessary to monitor children’s online activities and educate them about the responsible use of the Internet and social networks,” police added.
Serious head injuries
Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina say more than 20 teenagers have been injured while undertaking the challenge. Doctors there say some children aged 12 to 16 have suffered serious head injuries.
The director of the General Hospital in the capital, Sarajevo, Ismet Gavrankapetanovic, called on parents to get informed about TikTok and the potentially serious consequences its challenges can cause children.
“The large number of severely injured children and teenagers that we have cared for in the past few days demands all of us to take a serious approach and warn of the serious consequences of such injuries,” he told Radio Sarajevo’s website.
This challenge has spread to North Macedonia as well, where authorities last week said that at least 11 children had been hurt so far. “The youngest patient is a ten-year-old and the oldest is 16 … in two cases we had broken bones,” the head of the University Surgical Clinic in Skopje, Nebojsha Nastov, told media last week.
In Kosovo, on December 10, South Mitrovica municipality announced that seven schoolchildren had been hurt doing the challenge. Drita Kadriu, Municipal Director for Education, told BIRN: “The children have received first aid and have been taken to healthcare centres.”
A day before that, Kosovo police warned that TikTok challenges “represent a risk to youth safety and health”. The police urged “parents and the community to raise awareness among children and teenagers about the risks that engaging in these challenges can bring them”.
In Croatia, the website Dalmacijadanas.hr reported on December 5 about a a 12-year-old boy in Split “who spent the entire day in the hospital yesterday..
“He tried to perform this challenge during a break at school with his friends and fell on his back. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries but it could have been worse,” Dalmacijadanas.hr reported.
“I’m still in shock from everything but happy that there were no worse consequences,” the boy’s mother told the website.
BIRN’s Digital Rights Violations Annual Report 2023-2024 noted that TikTok challenges have become a significant concern for parents, teachers and mental health professionals, as many of them promote risky or dangerous behaviour.