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The social network TikTok is chockfull of interesting, fun, laugh-out-loud videos shared by creators worldwide. Kids, as well as parents, can easily spend hours glued to the platform. But as with most popular platforms, the fun can eventually turn dark, even deadly, when viral challenges make their rounds.
The latest viral challenge, the “blackout challenge,” first became popular online in 2008 and made its unfortunate comeback in 2021. Before this second round, the CDC attributed nearly 80 deaths to the dangerous online game. In the past month, authorities are attributing the tragic, high-profile deaths of Archie Battersbee, 12, and Leon Brown, 14 to the challenge.
The blackout challenge is a choking game that involves intentionally trying to choke oneself or another to obtain a brief euphoric state or “high.” Death or serious injury can result if strangulation is prolonged. Those doing the challenge do it privately or broadcast their attempt to friends or followers. The CDC also found that most deaths occurred when a child engaged in the choking game alone and that most parents were unaware of the game before their child’s death.
It’s easy to look at a challenge like this and dismiss it thinking your child would never be involved in such a dangerous game. However, in a recent post from HealthyChildren.org on why kids participate in online dares, pediatricians point to the reality that the teen brain is still developing. The part of the brain that processes rational thought, the prefrontal cortex, is not fully developed until a person’s mid-20s. This physiological reality means teens are naturally impulsive and can do things without stopping to consider the consequences.
Another lure that entices teens is that social media’s fast-moving, impulsive environment rewards outrageous behavior—the more outrageous the content, the bigger the bragging rights. The fear of losing out (FOMO is natural for teens.
According to the CDC, signs that a child may be engaging in the blackout challenge include:
Viral challenges will continue to emerge and shock us. There’s no way to anticipate them or control them. However, staying informed about dangerous online trends and keeping the lines of communication with your child open and honest is a big step toward equipping them to live a safe, balanced digital life.
The post Deadly Digital Dares: The Blackout Challenge on TikTok appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Mobile phones have gone through an incredible transformation since their inception in the 1970s. Now, the sheer number of applications is dizzying, as are their privacy policies; however, smartphone apps can bring hours of fun and belly laughs, and occasionally, a viral app captures the world’s attention. Don’t let potential risks to your personal information safety ruin all smartphone apps for you. All you need to share and play safely is a few tips to help you identify which apps are OK to use and how to navigate them intelligently.
Check out these four viral apps that may be putting your personal information at risk, plus a few tips that’ll help you enjoy smartphone apps safely.
Voilà AI Artist is a trending app that reimagines your face as a cartoon, caricature, or model of fine Renaissance art. Users can snap a selfie with the app or allow the app to access their photo library. According to WIRED, the app says it deletes users’ photos from its database in 24 to 48 hours, though it’s difficult to confirm that they aren’t stored.
Approach any app that could potentially use and store your likeness with caution. Deepfake technology is becoming more sophisticated and common by the day. Deepfakes are fabricated videos, images, or sound clips of every day or famous people based on real videos and images. Fake media impacts the victims whose likenesses are used because often the media is demeaning or incendiary. Voilà AI Artist hasn’t been suspected of any wrongdoing, but it’s best to be aware of how your face could be used to endorse something you don’t agree with.
Another face-altering app that could pose a risk to users’ privacy is FaceApp. Similar to Voilà AI Artist, it’s unclear what the app does with your likeness once you allow it to take your picture. FaceApp’s terms of use agreement outline that the selfies uploaded to the app belong to the app. From there, the app is free “to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display your User Content.” This line of fine print should make users pause. Again, users’ faces could be used in ways they wouldn’t normally agree to.
While the Pokémon Go craze of 2016 has greatly subsided, the next viral app that sweeps the world could replicate the security vulnerabilities the premise presents. Pokémon Go uses augmented reality, which is the kind of technology that makes it look like a Pokémon is strolling across your living room. The app can access your camera, as well as your contacts, pictures, chats, and location. It’s a blast exploring your neighborhood looking for animated critters and seeing nearby strangers’ profiles pop up on your map; however, be wary of sharing location data and images of the inside of your home with people you don’t know in real life.
TikTok may pose a risk to users’ data privacy. TikTok is under suspicion for using data mining tactics. Data mining is a practice where corporations harvest personal details from user-profiles and share them with advertising, marketing, and analytics companies. According to Business Insider, TikTok collects more than 50 kinds of data from users as young as 13 years old, including age, gender, location, and online habits. These facts are often used to create targeted ads that sometimes border on an invasion of privacy.
Check out these tips to make sure you’re prepared to use apps safely or help you decide to skip trends entirely.
The post 4 Viral Apps Risking Your Personal & Smartphone Security appeared first on McAfee Blog.
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