When it comes to internet dares, few have made as much headlines as the milk crate challenge. It's the latest trend that involves stacking milk crates precariously in a pyramid and then trying to walk up one side and down the other — without falling off. As the videos that have gone viral racked up millions of views, doctors across the country have warned that this "challenge" is dangerous and can result in serious injuries.
And while no deaths have been reported from the crates, ERs are reporting injuries including broken bones, head trauma and spinal cord injuries. One Texas man who attempted the challenge posted photos on Twitter of a huge bruise on his back from coming down hard on a stack of crates in a Dallas park. "I'm still sore," he wrote. "This wasn't worth it."
In one video, a person is seen climbing the milk crates. But as he approaches the top, they fall over and he falls off. His body crashes onto a plastic crate and then hits the ground, his face hitting the crate on the way down.
TikTok, which helped give rise to the craze by allowing people to post their attempts on its platform, has now taken steps to discourage it. It has deleted search results for the hashtags #milkcratechallenge and #cratechallenge and said it would remove any videos of the stunt if they appeared on its app. "We want to make it clear that this challenge is incredibly dangerous," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
