The Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Religious Affairs and Information has learned of a new and dangerous game, named the “Jump Challenge”, that is becoming popular among high school students both internationally and regionally.
In the ‘Jump Challenge’, all three people stand in a horizontal line, facing forward, and aim to jump to touch the ceiling, or to simply jump, altogether. However the two people on the outside both use the leg closest to the person in the middle, to trip that person during the jump.
The person then falls to the ground. Presently, there are several videos of this game circulating on the Internet.
The game is very dangerous, because the person who falls can sustain many types of injuries, including broken bones, head injuries and spinal injuries, among other things. Injuries can be serious enough to result in death, based on the nature of the fall sustained.
This Ministry hereby alerts the general public, particularly parents, to be aware of the serious nature of this game and the resulting harm that can befall their children, or relatives, if they participate in the ‘Jump Challenge’.
While students are encouraged to be physically active and to socialize with their peers, the ‘Jump Challenge’ does not constitute a constructive social activity. Head and spinal injuries sometimes take months and years to heal, while some people become and remain paralyzed.
Health is critical to one’s quality of life. No one wants to spend their youth and beyond incapacitated, but the ‘Jump Challenge’, can result in undesirable outcomes.
This Ministry therefore seeks the cooperation of the public in making others aware of this very dangerous game and remains hopeful that our young people – our students – will exercise good judgment and refrain from the ‘Jump Challenge’
