NBC News' Birmingham affiliate WVTM reported that on July 5, it was claimed that four people had died in Alabama while attempting to jump out of moving boats. Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad allegedly stated that these deaths were linked to a TikTok challenge.
Reports of people dying from jumping off speed boats as part of a deadly TikTok mission are not accurate, informed Euronews on July 18. While there were cases of drowning in Alabama, the state's public safety agency has stated that none of these deaths were directly linked to TikTok or any TikTok trend. The initial interview that sparked the controversy was later retracted on July 10 by Jim Dennis, who claimed that the media had exaggerated his statements.
Elisabeth Losh, a researcher of TikTok trends, explains that there is often a misunderstanding about what TikTok challenges entail. While some challenges may gain attention for risky behaviour, the majority of challenges on the platform are harmless and focus on activities like dancing. Losh suggests that there is a tendency to demonise TikTok and associate it with dangerous activities, even though the platform itself denies the existence of a boat jumping trend.
This situation is not the first time social networks have faced accusations of promoting false and dangerous challenges. The mention of the Momo Challenge in 2019 highlights how viral challenges can cause panic and fear among users, only to later be revealed as false.
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