‘Skullbreaker’ challenge on TikTok has injured kids across the US. But what is it?

A new challenge has gained popularity on the social media platform TikTok, and this one is injuring children across the country.

Children have been reportedly injured in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Alabama and Arizona from the “Skullbreaker Challenge,” which is a prank involving two pranksters and an unsuspecting individual.

In the challenge, three people stand beside one another and the person in the middle is told to jump as high as they can. When the person is in the air, the other two kick their feet out behind the jumper’s legs, causing the person to fall on their back, videos of the challenge show.

The landing could cause severe head injuries to the unsuspecting person taking part in the challenge. Dr. Nathan Richards, a physician with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Yahoo the unsuspecting individual in the challenge could suffer “bruising, hematoma, skull fracture, neck strain, neck fracture, concussion and long term complications of concussion, bleeding in or around the brain, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and death.”

Valerie Hodson, of Tucson, Arizona, said her son lost consciousness after he was involved in the prank.

“The school monitor ran to his side, all the while the 2 boys were snickering and laughing as his stiff unconscious body lay on the asphalt,” Hodson wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month that has been shared more than 50,000 times. “Fast forward at the hospital, he has a head injury, stitches in his face, severe cuts inside his mouth and 2 front teeth I have to keep an eye on.”

A Pittsburgh sixth grader told WPXI she “went numb and couldn’t do anything” when she fell victim to the prank last week. While the other students were disciplined after Aubrey Ortiz was hospitalized, her mother wants them to face criminal charges.

“This could have been fatal,” the girl’s mother told WPXI. “Why would they do this to anyone? Period.”

Criminal charges are possible for people who take part in the Skullbreaker Challenge, Ozark, Alabama police lieutenant Jessie Kellum told WTVY. He said challenges like these are a recurring issue for the police department.

“If the prank is deemed reckless and somebody gets hurt because of it, you can face assault charges,” Kellum said, according to WTVY.

In Ozark, Alabama, a boy broke two bones in his right wrist following the challenge, his mother said on Facebook.

The boy’s mother, Teri Wimmer Smith, pleaded for parents to step in and educate their children about the dangers of these types of challenges.

“Parents teach your kids that this crap is dangerous,” she said.

Some school districts have sent announcements warning parents about the challenge. William Dever Elementary School in Chicago and Winfield Intermediate in Missouri did not say any of their students were affected by the challenge, but nonetheless warned about its dangers.

“Each of our teachers have discussed this with our students last week and we would certainly appreciate our families taking the time to discuss it with their children as well,” Winfield Principal Jeff Schultz wrote in a Facebook post.

A 16-year-old girl in Homestead, Florida suffered “physical and emotional pain” after falling on her head as a result of the challenge, according to WSVN. She ended up transferring schools, WSVN reported.

Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, the chief communications officer for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system where the incident occurred, said the video “demonstrates a lack of good judgment.”

“Parents are urged to speak with their children about the responsible use of social media and to remind them that respect and empathy for others is far more important than any online trend,” Gonzalez-Diego said in a statement to WSVN.

TikTok said in a statement to Gulf News that it would remove any Skullbreaker Challenge videos from its platform.

“The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok,” a spokesperson for TikTok said, reported Gulf News. “As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury.”