Teens are daring each other on the latest social media trend called the Shell On challenge. 

Shell on challenge is basically the act of eating something with the plastic packaging or shell attached to it and posting it on social media.

For instance, there have been some videos of teens eating banana peels, eggs with shells and candy with wrappers.

While this challenge might not be as dangerous as the “Tide Pod Challenge” which involves eating laundry detergent pods, doctors are still warning against the dangers of swallowing things which aren’t food.

This challenge is mainly found on Snapchat but it is also now gaining popularity on Twitter.

Shell on challenge in the news

“The Shell On challenge is the latest dangerous Snapchat trends among teens” New York Post

“There is a national Snapchat story that includes clips of people all over the country performing the Shell On challenge. Most peoeple just bite an orange or banana peel, but some teens are taking it a step further.”  USA Today

Doctors warning about the Shell on challenge :

Why should parents care about the Shell On challenge:

• In a report in the New York Post, Chicago based physician stated that eating plastic can be dangerous. BPA has been suggested to affect your hormones
• There is the risk of choking while doing this challenge 
• Many teens seem to think this challenge is funny and harmless, unlike the Tide Pod challenge. But the fact remains that they are digesting something that isn’t food. 

What should parents do :

• Talk to your child about this challenge and warn them about the dangers of it
• Create a safe space in your home that your kids will feel comfortable talking about things they see or watch online
• Remind your child to not like or comment on posts like the shell on challenges as they should not be encouraging other people to do it. 
• Let your kids know that they should not feel pressured to do something they do not want too especially if it is just because something is trending online. 
• Remind your kids to use social media with a purpose, for instance, to connect with their friends, or showcase their talent. It’s ok to have fun and be positive online but not to encourage such dangerous behaviors.  
• If your child has participated in this challenge then find out the real reason behind it. Teens can be pressured to participate in such trends due to social pressure or to gain attention. This can be a red flag that parents need to know about.

Previous popular social media challenges :

#birdbox challenge: A person is blindfolded and expected to navigate his surroundings. Inspired by the Netflix movie Birdbox. Netflix has discouraged viewers to do this challenge as it can be very dangerous,

#kikichallenge : People dancing to the song “In my Feelings” outside a moving car- Many safety warning against this challenge

#Invisiblechallenge : Family members scare  their kids or younger siblings by believing that they had become invisible. Please do not do this challenge. It can scare kids.

#trashtag challenge : A positive challenge that encourages people to clean up their surrounding and taking an after and before photo of it.