TikTok has addressed the viral “Milk Crate Challenge,” saying they will begin removing videos that “glorify dangerous acts” from the platform.
In a rare statement obtained by Fast Company, a spokesperson for TikTok responded to the recent backlash surrounding the viral trend.
“TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content,” the social media platform said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off.”
The FDA also chimed in, after Conan O’Brien tweeted about the challenge while poking fun at this week’s FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
“Waiting for FDA approval before I take the Milk Crate Challenge,” Conan tweeted.
“Although we regulate milk, we can’t recommend you try that. Perhaps enjoy a nice glass of 2% and return all those crates to the grocery store?” the FDA’s official Twitter account responded.
TikTok’s statement comes amid recent backlash in response to the Milk Crate Challenge, with doctors expressing concern regarding injuries suffered from participating in the challenge.
Henry Schuitema, chief of emergency medicine at Jefferson Health in New Jersey, told the Washington Post he recently treated a patient who sustained several fractured ribs after attempting the dangerous stunt.
“So many of these injuries we’re seeing are preventable just by being intelligent,” Schuitema said. “If you catch a corner of one of those crates, it’s going to be problematic. It looks like something funny, but real people are getting real injuries.”
Shawn Anthony, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reminded the Post that the challenge is more life-threatening than people seem to realize.
“It’s perhaps even worse than falling from a ladder,” Anthony said. “It’s very difficult to brace yourself from the falls I’ve seen in these videos. They’re putting their joints at an even higher risk for injury.”
