I just have to ask – what is WRONG with Generation Z? They’ve got TikTok challenges up the ying-yang that are so stupidly dangerous.
- The “blackout challenge” (a.k.a. “pass-out challenge”) encourages asphyxiation. Several kids have died from it.
- The “Benadryl challenge” can cause a hallucinogenic high. It can also potentially cause seizures, heart problems, coma and death.
- The “Beezin’ challenge” (putting Burt’s Beeswax on your eyelids to keep you awake) can cause everything from eye inflammation to blindness.
The latest (and not so greatest)
And now? Well, it wasn’t a challenge, but an airplane “hack” that had gotten over 21 million views on TikTok since it was posted in early February. It was supposedly a way to make “sitting in your seat more comfortable.” The only problem? If it doesn’t potentially help you towards an early death, it could also cause a blood clot, potentially dislocate or break bones, or give you a concussion. How fun, huh?
The person who posted the video, @Lexi, showed how someone on a plane can be more comfortable in their seat by bending their knees, and putting their feet on the seat itself. She then shows that her seatbelt is buckled, not around her waist, but around her ankles. Here’s a picture of it:
“To whoever it was that said to put the plane belt around your ankles, I owe you my life,” she wrote as a caption.
In the comments, @Lexi said, “I’m someone who has to sleep with my legs up and I usually tuck my feet behind the seat. I can’t sleep in a sitting position it’s too uncomfortable!”
Of course, there are a whole bunch of people who would never be able to get into the position in the first place. Or if they managed to, they wouldn’t be able to hold it for very long.
But besides that, there are just SO many ways this is a dangerous position:
- You’re putting yourself at risk for poor circulation in your feet, and potentially a blood clot
- If there’s turbulence that causes you to bounce forward, your head could hit your knees and you’re looking at anything from a broken nose to broken eye orbits to a concussion.
- If there’s turbulence that causes your whole body to move forward quickly, your ankles could break while everything above your ankles moves forward, but your feet remain trapped in place. I could see a potential for hip dislocation, too.
- If there’s an emergency and you have to exit your seat NOW, it’s going to take that much longer to find the seat belt’s buckle and unbuckle it, get your legs down, and stand up, instead of unbuckling and standing.
The video had over 6,500 comments, mostly from people explaining why this “hack” is such a terrible idea. But the comments about and by flight attendants brought them all home:
- I did this and the flight attendant told me off – Chamber Pearce
- got yelled at by the flight attendant for this — user7550990642848
- As a flight attendant… please don’t — Sarah Emanoelle
Good news!
Happily, there’s a partial good news to the end of the story – @Lexi’s video (and apparently her entire account) no longer exists. There are several copycat videos out there, thanking @Lexi for “saving their life.” But even better, there are a bunch of videos that explain why this “hack” is a horrible, twisted idea:
For example, there’s this one:
@stephenscript #stitch with @LEXI a body in motion stays in motion #dvt #healthtips #walkfromhome
And this one:
@kushvenkatesh Broken ankles for sure if u stay like that for longer than 30 seconds #planehack #travel #traveltiktok #solotravel #seatbelt #fyp #hack #foryou
Hooray for some of the cooler heads that prevailed.
Maybe there’s hope for the younger generation after all. 😉
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