New Delhi, 02 August 2018: With 82 million views on YouTube, a track has recently gained immense popularity and prompted a potentially dangerous social media dance challenge. Called the Kiki challenge, it requires the performer to shake and shimmy beside a moving car and then jump back into it. Videos of people undertaking the challenge are already viral on various social media platforms with hashtags such as #punjabikiki, #shiggychallenge, #bhangra, #bds, #desikiki #kikidoyouloveme #dotheshiggy and #drake.
In a cheeky play on the lyrics, the UP police tweeted on Monday saying ‘Dear Parents, whether Kiki loves your child or not, we are sure you do! So please stand by your kids in all the challenges in life except #kikichallenge.’ The Chandigarh Traffic Police, in association with Radio Mirchi, has also issued a traffic advisory on the dare and so has the Mumbai police.In Spain, the US, Malaysia, and the UAE, cops have alerted people to the dangers of the challenge.
Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Adolescents are extremely vulnerable to such online challenges. Prior to the Kiki challenge, in 2016, two such games were popular which caused a number ofroad accidents. One was Pokemon Go, the world’s most popular game with over 15 million players trying to catch Pokemons. The game caused thousands of road accidents as well. According to study, more than 110,000 incidents in a 10-day period occurred thanks to drivers and pedestrians distracted by the game. The second and more fatal challenge was the Blue Whale Game in which various tasks / challenges are assigned to the player to reach a higher level. Ultimately, the player must commit suicide to complete the challenge. However, the said game has been banned now. In all these three situations, it is the teens and young adults who undertook/are undertaking the challenge and putting their life into danger.”
The #kikichallenge craze began on June 30 when comedian Shiggy posted a video on Instagram where he is dancing to the song in a busy stretch. Later Shiggy’s friend Odell Beckham Jr also recorded himself dancing outside his car. Now there are hundreds of such videos with some of them showing people crashing into poles and tripping on potholes. In one clip a woman’s handbag is stolen while attempting the challenge.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Vice President of CMAAO and Ira Gupta Legal Adviser HCFI in a joint statement said “Many Bollywood and TV actors have also filmed themselves dancing to this song outside a moving car. They are influencers and youngsters are most likely to take a cue and follow suit. It is imperative to be cautious and warn the public at large to make them aware of these life-threatening challenges and stop following them blindly. Parents should counsel their children and keep a watch to prevent them from risking their lives.”
Some tips from HCFI
Such situations arise out of an addiction to social media as well. It is important to recognize this and take steps to wean off.
Review your usage Understand and review the amount of time you spend on social media every day. You can take the help of a counsellor in understanding your behaviour and inclination towards this.
Acknowledge your addiction Try taking a break from using any social media apps for sometime, maybe days. The first way to overcome any addiction is to acknowledge that you have it.
Deactivate your account and delete apps This will ensure that you do not get the urge to check and post every other time.
