Viral Hot Water Challenge Leaves Teen With Burns

It seems like every single day there is a new online challenge that is getting all of the teenager’s attention. While some of these challenges are harmless, like dance offs, there are an alarming number of challenges that can result in serious injury to our children. We all heard of the Tide Pod Challenge, where teens were trying to eat the detergent pods but now we’ve got a whole new danger with the Hot Water Challenge.

The prank involves throwing hot or boiling water onto a unsuspecting person, usually when they are sleeping. And while it might seem like common sense to avoid this, the number of teens participating is frightening. 15-year-old Kyland Clark knows this all to well as he suffered second-degree burns after being a victim of this prank. While visiting a friend’s house, Kyland fell asleep.

Shortly before, the boys had been looking at videos online of the Hot Water Challenge, so Kyland’s friend decided to pull the prank on Kyland. He heated up water in the microwave and then tossed in onto Kyland’s body. Ultimately, Kyland was in the hospital for over a week with burns on his face, chest, back, neck and arms. His mother was frantic when she received the call about her son’s condition.

‘At times I ask myself, 'Why?' and, 'What were they thinking?' But I mean, I love them the same. They're typical teenagers." And after this scary incident, Kyland has said that he won’t be participating in any more online challenges.