Risky social media challenges: a scoping review, 2000-2024

Social media challenges (SMC) are activities individuals perform as content for social media, sometimes being "challenged" by others to join. Some of these challenges can cause injuries and even death. While SMC are frequently reported in media, peer-reviewed literature on SMC is limited and varied. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review of risky SMC to map the research area.

We conducted a comprehensive search of MEDLINE and PsycInfo® from 2000 through 2024, for articles about risky SMC, defined as SMC that have a reasonable likelihood of causing injury. The articles were excluded if the SMC involved intentional injury (e.g., cutting or suicide). Articles were screened and data were extracted. Descriptive statistics summarized article characteristics.

A total of 1651 articles were identified; 54 met inclusion criteria. All articles were categorized as observational studies including reviews (26%), case reports or series (24%), or descriptive studies (22%). The first article about a risky SMC was from 2010 and article numbers increased annually since, with an increase from 1 article in 2010 to 12 in 2024. The most common social media platforms discussed were YouTube (52%) followed by TikTok (31%), both video-based platforms. The top risky SMC were the Cinnamon Challenge (33%) and Fire Challenge (24%). Injuries were mentioned in 89% of the articles including burns, poisoning, lung injury, and strangulation. Of the articles that discuss a specific injury case, reported outcomes include emergent medical evaluation (67%), permanent morbidity (29%), and death (33%). The majority (67.3%) of articles mention possible interventions including parent, school or provider education (57%), platform changes (17%), and legislation (13%). There were no descriptions of employed interventions.

Injuries from risky SMC have been reported in peer-reviewed literature and have increased annually over time. There is a need for more research and interventions to mitigate the harmful effects.