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Time Magazine
8 hours ago
- Health
- Time Magazine
When TikTok Trends Send Kids to the Emergency Room
Is TikTok empowering or endangering the health of kids and teens in the U.S.? As an emergency physician, I often ask myself that question. There are some positives to the platform. Trends that go viral there are reshaping how young people engage with pop culture, health education, and even life-saving skills. Kids have more access than ever to learning how to respond to emergency situations; for instance, when a celebrity overdose sparks TikTok tutorials on how to use Narcan, or experts teach people hands-only CPR using catchy modern songs like Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club'. (It was time for an update: teaching chest compressions to the rhythm of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees isn't exactly the most relevant reference for Gen Z.) But the same platform which educates one user may mislead or harm another. Dangerous TikTok trends popularize reckless behavior, costing vulnerable youth safety, self-esteem, and sometimes even their survival. Kids as young as eight have died from self-strangulation after doing the Blackout Challenge, for instance, where users intentionally try to choke themselves until they lose consciousness. Emergencies have become content to be consumed. I've seen the consequences firsthand in the young people in the emergency department whose lives are forever altered by mimicking what they first saw on social media. Read More: Why Watching The Pitt Feels So Cathartic for ER Doctors Like Me I'll never forget caring for the 14-year-old girl who had swallowed the contents of a bottle of Benadryl one evening in 2021 while doing something called the Benadryl Challenge, a TikTok trend where teens chase hallucinations by ingesting toxic doses of allergy medicine. Instead, she suffered severe heart damage—and it took everything my team and I had to save her life. She had freshly painted sky-blue nails, a detail that still stays with me. A reminder that she was just a child, lured by a viral challenge that nearly took her life. Also imprinted on my mind is a night during residency when I cared for a young girl severely burned by scalding water. She had seen a viral video on Twitter where people combined a choreographed dance with throwing hot water into the air for dramatic effect, then tried to replicate it at home. She was disfigured and in agony—her childhood interrupted not by accident, but by algorithm. As I dressed her wounds, I kept picturing her years from now, at her wedding, in a white dress, still bearing the scars. And beneath the heartbreak, I felt a deep, simmering anger: how something so reckless and preventable could leave such a lasting mark on someone so young. That experience was a chilling example of how platforms shape behavior. But it was far from isolated. A few years later, in March 2025, I was working the Saint Patrick's Day Parade as an EMS physician with the Chicago Fire Department when I saw hundreds of teenagers sitting at the edge of the green-dyed Chicago River drinking alcohol out of 2-gallon jugs. These are known on social media as BORGs (short for 'blackout rage gallon') and had never seen teens carry them around until this year. The police had them dump out the jugs to prevent public intoxication. It wasn't just the alcohol or the recklessness that struck me—it was the normalization of it all. Read More: When to Go to the Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care From falling off precarious pyramids in the Milk Crate Challenge to being violently tripped in the Skullbreaker Challenge, young people have suffered broken necks, becoming suddenly paralyzed and sustaining brain damage and head trauma in pursuit of likes and shares. TikTok is unintentionality proving that virality can come at a steep—and sometimes deadly—cost. Watching these videos—teenagers risking their lives for likes—is chilling. They're difficult to endure, yet they rack up millions of views. What does it say about us that we can't look away? The truth is, we've grown desensitized—and the real question isn't just what's wrong with TikTok, but what's gone wrong with us? That question cuts even deeper for me, because I've dedicated my life to saving these kids—standing at bedsides as parents say goodbye, doing CPR on teenagers on frozen winter nights, doing everything I can so they have another chance. And in those moments, I wish I could reach through the phone to tell them to quit scrolling or to put their phone down and choose caution and care over a reckless act they will come to regret. TikTok has the power to save a life, but the content being amplified has the potential to end one, too. So what are we to do in this age of duality where both things can ring true? Part of the answer lies in reclaiming responsibility—being present for our kids, guiding what they consume, and holding ourselves accountable, too. Because our kids aren't just scrolling—they're chasing viral thrills, drawn in by trends that are dangerously seductive to young, developing minds. We can't let the algorithm give way to one more accident.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Comedian Bill Bailey returns to Rotorua with new show Vaudevillean
'Bill Bailey returns with a show that celebrates this great tradition, as the versatile multi-instrumental, multi-lingual, purveyor of humour and musical prowess, who could lay claim to being perhaps the foremost practitioner of this great tradition, an entertainer, a performer, a modern Vaudevillian,' the statement said. In 2023 Bailey brought his show Thoughtifier to New Zealand which included stops in Rotorua and Tauranga. Bailey plays at Rotorua's Sir Howard Morrison Centre on November 21 and tickets are on sale now. Bill Bailey. Photo / Supplied He was one of a growing list of top touring international comedians visiting the centre since it reopened in 2023 after five years closed for significant renovations. UK comedian Sarah Millican's performance in January sold out within weeks of going on sale. Ben Elton, also from the UK, performed in April and Australian Heath 'Chopper Read' Franklin visited in May. Other upcoming comedy shows at the venue included two more UK performers - comedy hypnotist Frankie Mac performs on July 25 and Jimmy Carr's Laughs Funny tour will visit in January. Music fans would also be well served, with The Best of the Bee Gees yesterday becoming the latest tribute act to announce a Rotorua show. A media release said the Australian act would bring their two-act Greatest Hits and Saturday Night Fever Show performance to the Sir Howard Morrison Centre on August 12. The North Island tour is the first time visiting New Zealand for the group, which has been performing for 26 years. Other tribute acts visiting Rotorua this year include Creedence Clearwater Collective, Dancing in the Shadows of Motown, The Fleetwood Mac Experience, Queen: It's a Kind of Magic, Tina: The Ultimate Tribute To The Queen of Rock 'N' Roll, and Taylor: A Tribute to the Eras of Taylor Swift.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's romantic playlist revealed as they begin wedding celebrations with drinks reception at luxury hotel after arriving arm in arm in Venice
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez began their wedding celebrations with a playlist of romantic music. The couple kicked off celebrations with a drinks reception at the luxury Aman hotel, blasting More Than A Woman by the Bee Gees. They then continued to play tunes like Nina Simone's I'm Feeling Good, Lovely Day by Bill Withers and Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. Jeff and Lauren mixed the hits with a selection of traditional Italian music as they prepared for their big day and were joined by another 50 of their closest guests and friends already in the Italian city. It comes after the pair were pictured arriving at the glitzy Aman Hotel earlier today ahead of their blockbuster wedding. The multi-billionaire Amazon founder, 61, was seen stepping off a boat alongside his glamorous girlfriend, 55. Both waved to onlookers and paparazzi as they clambered off the boat onto a purpose-built jetty outside the hotel before quickly being whisked away. They were later snapped flashing smiles as they stood beside a helicopter. The Mail revealed that Bezos hired out the hotel - the same used by George and Amal Clooney for their wedding - from Wednesday. A huge security team is now surrounding the property with five or six men staffing each entrance. The pair waved to paparazzi as they steamed through Venetian waterways The luxury hotel Aman in Venice, Italy, 25 June 2025, where Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos arrived by boat. Venice will host the wedding of Bezos and his fiancee journalist Lauren Sanchez in the coming days The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million-dollar nuptials. Around 90 private jets are set to land in local airports this week, bringing A-listers from show business, politics and finance to the widely-dubbed 'wedding of the century'. The celebrations are expected to kick off on Thursday and end on Saturday. But the historic venue that Bezos and Sanchez chose for part of their $20 million bash is covered in scaffolding, MailOnline can reveal. The lavish three-day event will feature a party held within the fabulous 15th-century Madonna dell'Orto church in Venice's quaint Cannareggio district tomorrow night. Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday, cordoning off the area and isolating guests from activists who have been protesting for weeks that the celebrations will turn the city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich. Bezos, who remains the executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and sits at number 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott. The pair waved to paparazzi as they clambered onto dry land In preparation, security guards have now blocked off entrances to the closure where the party will be held, but what guests will first see when they arrive is the iconic bell tower covered in scaffolding. This has left locals speculating that Bezos may have booked the venue based on seeing pictures on Google without realising it is being repaired. The revelation comes just a day after MailOnline revealed how a careless wedding organiser had unwittingly leaked sensitive details of the VIP event to the media by being photographed carrying a printed guest list. Meanwhile, the fact that the huge wedding is taking place in one of the world's most vulnerable heritage sites has become so controversial that it is being angrily discussed in Italian parliament. This controversy intensified overnight as council chiefs ordered the blocking off of the canal running in front of the church for around 200 metres, with a landing point for boats closed off with red and white tape. Access from the Brazzo and Dei Muti canals blocked as well from 6pm tonight - when the wedding festivities kick off with a pyjama party at a secret location - until midnight tomorrow. Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are all smiles Dozens of electrical cables, threading along the ground like spaghetti, are being run from a noisy generator boat moored in the Madonna dell 'Orto canal, which is creating a noisy din. The venue for the party is the cloister next door to the church, which is where the famous Renaissance artist Tintoretto is buried. The website for the cloister describes the venue, which is used for the famous Biennale art exhibition in Venice, as 'simple, yet elegant'. Pictures from previous events show tables beneath the vaulted ceilings, atmospherically lit by candlelight – but this week the scaffolding on the church tower will be clearly visible. The cloister extends to three sides and is supported by ornate columns with a beautiful herringbone floor. When MailOnline approached a guard and asked if the cloister was open, we were told: 'No, it's closed, there is a private function.' The Aman hotel has built a private jetty for the lucky 48 guests who will be staying there for the Bezos wedding. Sat on the Grand Canal, the hotel has constructed a small pier covered in a blue tent for those who will be arriving by boat and require privacy. The couple have booked out all 24 grand rooms at the hotel from Wednesday. Extra police and added safety measures have been brought in for the wedding, and local authorities have been holding a series of daily meetings to discuss how to protect the expected 200 VIPs. According to local media reports, the city will pay overtime to an unspecified number of police officers involved in security for the wedding organisers. This has left locals speculating that Bezos may have booked the venue based on seeing pictures on Google without realising it is currently being repaired Among the assorted billionaires and millionaires on the guest list, there is also Ivanka Trump, who as the US president's daughter has an extra added level of security. All of this has prompted questions in parliament from furious MPs - mostly from opposition centre left and environmental parties - wanting to know just how much Italian taxpayers' money was being spent. Angelo Bonelli, an MP with the Italian Green and Left Alliance, angrily demanded that Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi from the ruling Brothers of Italy right-wing party provide cost details. Mr Bonelli said: 'We need information because from Wednesday until Saturday night the city of Venice will be in a virtual lockdown to allow the Amazon magnate's wedding to go ahead. 'It will be locked down, but it will also be a city bought for three days in a sort of unbridled celebration of luxury that will limit the movement of citizens. 'I am here to ask the Ministry of the Interior to guarantee the freedom to express dissent. How is it possible to buy a city for three days creating a series of inconveniences?' He added: 'I remember that Amazon is under investigation for the exploitation of workers, Bezos' wealth comes from this. If they can buy Venice for three days, these super rich can pay taxes.' Bonelli's request was echoed by opposition M5S deputy Antonio Iaria, who said: 'We too, as the Five Star Movement, ask Piantedosi for information. The venue for the party is the cloister next door to the church – which is where the famous Renaissance artist Tintoretto is buried Workers set up a footbridge late in the night at the entrance of the luxury hotel Aman, on June 24, 2025, in Venice ahead of the three-day wedding party of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez 'In the Senate as M5S we also proposed an increase in the web tax not to go against a sector but to address a problem of the future. 'This government immediately bows to billionaires, it does not ask itself if in a historical moment like this a public order problem is not created. 'The government shows that Venice must not be a playground for billionaires, tourism is welcome but not to those who rent a city to the detriment of the citizens themselves.' He added: 'Bezos is getting married. Venice is blocked. And how much does it cost the Italian State? 'We asked Interior Minister Piantedosi. We pay, certainly, for security, for public order, to lock down an entire city and protect a cover wedding. 'But how much does all this cost Italy? Who guarantees security? Who coordinates traffic? 'Who manages the inconveniences for citizens and workers? The answer is always the same: the public machine, with public money. 'And in exchange? Selfies and luxury, while those struggling to pay the rent watch from afar.' Campaign group No Space For Bezos have already said they plan to disrupt the wedding by blocking canals and have asked activists to 'turn up with snorkels and masks', They have also been encouraged to bring inflatable crocodiles or other toys to scatter along the canals to impede the dozens of water taxis hired to ferry guests between venues. Ruling Brothers of Italy MP Salvatore Caiata hit back and said:'We do not agree that Piantedosi should report to the Chamber on this topic also because the Minister of the Interior is not a wedding planner, we cannot ask that the government come to report to the Chamber on every topic, it is paradoxical that every situation is used to exploit.' No-one from the organisers or Venice town hall who cover the local police budget was immediately available for comment.
IOL News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
From studio to proposal: the journey of 'Favourite Person'
Cameron Emmanuel and Lequicia Astrid. Image: Supplied WHEN Cameron Emmanuel first wrote Favourite Person, it wasn't meant for the woman he would one day propose to. It was one of several tracks inspired by a different season of his life. But fate has a way of flipping the script. Today, Favourite Person is the soundtrack of a real love story - one that started in a studio and led to a proposal. It's the debut single from Emmanuel featuring Lequicia Astrid. It is a heartfelt Afropop duet born out of serendipity, shared pain, and an unexpected turn of events. Emmanuel grew up surrounded by music. He was raised on the melodies of the Bee Gees, the Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkel. He picked up a guitar at just 8 years old, and by 16 was teaching himself keys, while watching Idols SA and admiring artists like Khaya Mthethwa, who would later become a mentor and collaborator. Astrid, a powerhouse vocalist and former winner of Chatsworth's Got Talent, had only met Emmanuel once before they linked up for studio sessions at Wave Productions. She was navigating her own storm of grief after the recent passing of her mum. When Emmanuel offered her a list of tracks to choose from for a collaboration, she gravitated to one in particular - Favourite Person. What she did not know was that the song had been written while Emmanuel was seeing someone else. 'That's the irony,' Astrid said. 'It was written with someone else in mind. But when we sang it together, it became ours.' The track's core was produced during a TikTok Live by Durban-based DJ Keys (David Govender). Live on air, Keys started mixing the foundation of the beat. Days later, Emmanuel and Astrid were adding lyrics, refining verses, and finding their harmony - both musically and personally. Months later, Emmanuel proposed and Astrid said yes. Favourite Person is already creating waves on social media. The song has drawn excitement from listeners praising its heartfelt lyrics, vocal blend, and relatable message - perfect for those who have found love where they least expected it. 'I want my music to feel real,' said Emmanuel. 'So many artists chase the next big hit. But I want to write songs that mean something, songs that reflect where we are, who we're with, and what we're feeling at the moment. Favourite Person did that for us.' Astrid said she hoped the song reminded people that even in the chaos of life, there was still room for connection, healing, and joy. 'Sometimes love is in the background, quietly waiting for you to notice,' she said. Favourite Person will be available on all streaming platforms on June 27. THE POST
IOL News
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Favourite Person - a love story no one saw coming
Favourite Person by Cameron Emmanuel featuring Lequicia Astrid will be released on streaming platforms on June 27, 2025. WHEN Cameron Emmanuel first wrote Favourite Person, it wasn't meant for the woman he would one day propose to. It was one of several tracks inspired by a different season of his life. But fate has a way of flipping the script. Today, Favourite Person is the soundtrack of a real love story, one that started in a studio and led to a proposal. It's the debut single from Cameron Emmanuel featuring Lequicia Astrid - a heartfelt Afropop duet born out of serendipity, shared pain, and an unexpected turn of events. Cameron grew up surrounded by music. He was raised on the melodies of the Bee Gees, the Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkel. He picked up a guitar at just 8 years old, and by 16 was teaching himself keys while watching Idols SA and admiring artists like Khaya Mthethwa, who would later become a mentor and collaborator.
