Parenting

Condom Snorting Is The Latest Dangerous Challenge Parents Need To Know About

by Julie Scagell
Getty Images/ TethysImagingLLC

Condom snorting is the latest teen challenge parents need to know about

Just when you think to yourself, there couldn’t be anything more ridiculous teens could do to themselves than eating laundry detergent, along comes another challenge which makes you wonder what in the hell some people are thinking: condom snorting.

Apparently this phenomenon has been around for years but thanks to the power of social media it’s resurfaced, prompting a whole new gaggle of kids to jump on the rubber-snorting bandwagon. Viral videos like the one below show teens snorting unwrapped condoms up one of their nostrils and inhaling until the condom comes out of their mouth.

Well, you’ll never be able to unsee that.

While we’d all love for our teens to be using condoms, snorting them isn’t really what anyone had in mind. “Anything that goes up your nose can damage the sensitive inner lining of your nose, cause an allergic reaction, or result in an infection,” Forbes reported in an article titled, “Condom Snorting Challenge: Why You Should Not Inhale Condoms,” because omg why is this even a thing we need to tell people.

It’s not like this is something you can use later on in life to help land your dream job.

“Can you tell me about your greatest accomplishment?”

“Yeah, I’d have to say when I sucked that rubber into my nose and pulled it out my mouth. That was pretty rad.”

“Even if you manage to successfully pull the condom out through your mouth, inhaling a condom up your nose would be very uncomfortable and potentially quite painful,” Bruce Y. Lee, an associated professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Forbes. “Would it really be worth all that just to get more likes and views?”

Apparently for some kids, the answer is “yes.” It’s a testament to just how far some will go to get attention in the age of likes, shares, and followers. And while there have been challenges like the Ice Bucket Challenge that raised millions of dollars for ALS research, I’m not thinking this one would be beneficial for anyone involved. This is also one more reminder for parents to monitor what their kids are watching and doing online.

Luckily, YouTube, where most of these videos are posted, is working to remove all videos in the hopes this keeps kids from trying it.

Listen up, future leaders of America — the only thing your nose is good for is picking, smelling, and holding up your glasses. Full stop.