Yahoo News The Viral 'Outlet Challenge' Has Already Caused a Fire at a Massachusetts School, So Let's Stop This Now
New year, new social media trends, am I right? While I'm all for the #DollyPartonChallenge, (oh, the juxtaposition of Linkedin to Tinder photos) this new fad circulating on social media isn't one I'll be participating in. By no means is it worth broadening the risk of fire for a few seconds of footage. The "outlet challenge" as it's been dubbed, started on the short-form video platform Tik Tok.
While I approved of the Christmas Explosion challenge that transpired on the app a few months ago, this new challenge does not serve me, or any of us well. The challenge involves an outlet, a plug, and a conductor such as a penny. Most videos involve users plugging the adapter part of an iPhone charger into an outlet, but not fully plugging it in, leaving a bit of space between the outlet and the plug. What is that gap of space for? Danger! The user will then take an object such as a penny, flick the prongs of the plug until a spark is created. Yes that's it—that's the whole post, the whole challenge. While it currently appears that Tik Tok has removed content tagged with #outletchallenge, we were able to salvage a video for you.
After the challenge surfaced on social media, many spoke out against the trend. Peter J. Ostroskey, a fire marshal in Massachusetts, issued a letter to all state fire department heads and S.A.F.E. educators warning how this challenge can not only incur damage to the electrical outlet, but can actually start a fire. The letter, obtained by CNN, notes that there were two accidents reported in Massachusetts as a result of the challenge. One incident involved a mother sending officials a photo of her scorched outlet. The second incident involved a student starting a fire at Westford Academy. The principal of the academy, Jim Antonelli, told WCVB that the entire school had to evacuate after smoke started coming out of an electrical outlet.
While you might assume that your kids know better than to play with electrical outlets, it never hurts to discuss fire safety with them, far beyond the perils of electrical outlets. To think, even our favorite gizmos and gadgets can be hazardous. Remember when a Samsung tablet literally burned a hole through an 11-year-old boy's bed?
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