Personal question: what was the absolute stupidest thing that you did as a kid? C’mon, be honest! Was it the time you skipped school to go to the mall, only to run into your mom who just so happened to be on a shopping trip, too?

Oh, wait, that didn’t happen to you? Maybe that was just us…

But disastrous mall trips aside, it seems as though kids these days are really outdoing themselves when it comes to doing stupid stuff. And, before you accuse us of “Millenial bashing,” we have three very important words for you: Tide. Pod. Challenge.

If we had a mic to drop we would.

Believe it or not, it even goes far beyond kids sticking plastic pods filled with detergent into their mouths and chewing on them; teens these days are embracing a whole host of dangerous “Internet challenges” that can end up compromising their physical health, like the salt and ice challenge and even the condom snorting challenge. Yep, you heard us right–condom snorting challenge!

Why parents should be worried about the “deodorant challenge”

Even though it seems that the aforementioned trends are, luckily, dying out, that hasn’t stopped teens from trying their hand at more of these hazardous Internet-based challenges. One of the most disturbing ones that we have come across lately is what is called the “deodorant challenge.”

Nope, it’s not a bid for teenagers to learn more about hygiene–though some teens we know could use this! Unfortunately, it requires kiddos to risk maiming themselves with aerosol deodorant for the sake of procuring bragging rights.

Again, we’re not kidding…

This is all according to Jamie Prescott, a UK mom who has had the sad task of caring for her 15-year-old daughter after she got severely burned from the challenge. In her now-viral Facebook post, Prescott says that her daughter suffered second-degree burns after performing the challenge which instructs kids to spray “deodorant onto someone else as long as possible.”

Worse yet, a few weeks after being sprayed with the deodorant, the teen’s weeping wounds are still so bad that doctors may have to perform a skin graft to repair the damage. Yet again, we’re not kidding….

So, what’s in aerosol deodorant that’s so harmful when misused? In an interview with Prevention, Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York says the cans are full of “propellants” that can cause harm if exposed to the skin for too long. Zeicher stated:

Improper use of aerosol deodorants or other aerosol-based skin products can lead to chemical skin burns. Mild burns include redness and inflammation, and with more severe burns, the skin may blister, ulcerate, and potentially have permanent scarring.

And, there you have it, folks! Just another fun topic to bombard your teenager with at the dinner table this evening. It’s probably good that you bring up the challenge, but just know that you’ll probably get an eye roll from your kiddo!

To learn even more about the disturbing deodorant challenge and to see the stomach-churning burns that this 15-year-old Brit experienced, be sure to watch the video below.

What are your thoughts on this Internet challenge? Are you surprised that kids are taking part in this? Has your child tried the challenge?