Teens Are, Um, "Snorting" Condoms, and No, This Isn't Fake

It's not new for teenagers to use social media to participate in dangerous online "challenges." Recently, teens were taking on the highly risky and possibly fatal Tide Pod challenge, but it seems they've moved on to a new challenge that is equal parts gross and high-risk: the "condom snorting challenge." Although the challenge has been around for years, it is becoming viral once again, according to USA Today, so all parents need to be informed.

The trend involves teens putting an unwrapped condom up one nostril and inhaling until the condom comes out of their mouth, which could present a choking hazard at the very least, as the condom could easily get stuck in the nose or throat, blocking the airways. In addition, most condoms are made with additives and synthetic chemicals that can be harmful when not used as intended. Putting anything up your nose besides prescribed nasal sprays "can damage the sensitive inner lining of your nose, cause an allergic reaction, or result in an infection," Bruce Y. Lee, a Forbes contributor and associate professor of international health at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote in a recent column.

The amount of hazardous challenges kids are actively participating in has increased so much over the years that parents and educators are taking preventative matters into their own hands. For example, some parents in San Antonio, TX, attended an informative class led by Stephen Enriquez, a state education specialist, to learn more about these dangerous trends. "Because these days our teens are doing everything for likes, views and subscribers, as graphic as it is, we have to show parents because teens are going online looking for challenges and recreating them," Enriquez told Fox 29.

Because the condom snorting challenge is making quick rounds on the internet, parents need to be vigilant by talking to their kids about the effects of this dangerous social media trend.