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Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly social media trend threatens kids, homeowners defending themselves: 'children are going to get killed'
Potentially dangerous social media trends are getting kids, and potentially homeowners, into trouble this summer while kids are out of school. Two trends in particular are going viral on social media, including the "UrbanEx," or "urban exploration," challenge and the "door-kicking challenge." "There's a new trend every day. … You go to the FYP, the For You Page, you see what's trending. And then pretty soon, you'll see content created by children, which is in and of itself problematic. A lot of the children under the age of 13 … are legally not allowed to even be on social media," Titania Jordan, CMO and chief parent officer at Bark Technologies, a parental control app, told Fox News Digital. Social media challenges prompt users to create more "content that elicits a reaction," she explained, "that has viral components, resurfaces and resurfaces again, thanks again to the algorithm." Over Half Of Top 100 Mental Health Tiktok Videos Contain Misinformation: Report "This sort of content is going to get likes, it's going to get comments, it is going to get shares. It's going to encourage children to try to emulate it because it's clout — they gain clout from their peers because of this," she said. "…Any challenge like this, children aren't thinking, 'Is this the right thing to do? Is this safe?' They're thinking, 'I want validation,' and children are going to get killed. I mean, just one person who is armed who gets their door kicked in by a kid, and you're gonna have another national headline that is very sad." Read On The Fox News App Law enforcement agencies across the country are warning of both trends, the former of which challenges social media users to explore abandoned buildings and the latter of which challenges them to kick in strangers' doors. Texas Bill Pushes Strictest Social Media Ban For Minors In The Nation While the door-kicking challenge has existed for years, multiple agencies have issued recent warnings, indicating a possible uptick in the trend this summer. An Ohio police department recently warned about the challenge, saying it is investigating four incidents that occurred in Byesville. "Reports of doors being kicked in on homes began to come in during the middle of the night. Officers have collected evidence from neighborhoods indicating that a social media trend called the 'Door Kicking Challenge' is behind these acts," the Byesville Police Department said in a Facebook post. "The suspects are not entering the homes; instead, they are merely kicking the front doors and then fleeing the scene." Byesville police added that authorities are collecting physical evidence from the scenes of these crimes, including video footage. Byesville PD Chief Daulton Dolan told Fox News Digital that the door-kick challenges take "ding dong ditch" to a new level, especially in stand-your-ground states like Ohio. "If you feel that your life or a life of your family members are threatened, you can take deadly force against somebody right there on the spot. … So, for instance, if someone kicks open [a] door in the middle of the night, and the homeowner believes that they're coming in can physically harm them, they're going to shoot at them if they have a gun nearby," Dolan said. "And in Southeast Ohio … we've seen that before." Additionally, in Ohio, if a person's leg enters another person's home by kicking a door in, that can result in a burglary charge, on top of possibly trespassing charges, Dolan explained. Homeowners might also face a lengthy process in the criminal justice system if they choose to defend themselves with a gun if someone kicks their door open, Dolan said. "Our job would be: if the homeowner did fire a weapon if somebody had kicked open their door, we would conduct an investigation into that. Of course, we would seize the weapon that was used in it as evidence. We would take any kind of interviews and reports, medical exams, pictures, measurements, everything … and then we would turn it over to the Guernsey County Prosecutor's Office … [who] can rule it out as a justified homicide or they can move it up further and go to a grand jury." The Fleetwood Police Department in Pennsylvania on June 8 warned that a "TikTok 'door knock' or 'door kick' challenge encourages kids and teens to record themselves doing just that; knocking on and/or kicking random doors, usually late at night." "While 'ding dong ditch' has been a hallmark for decades of kids who were looking to have a little mischievous fun, today's youth have taken things to a more serious level by kicking at doors and ultimately causing damage," the department wrote. "Besides the financial consequences to homeowners who are often left with the expense of repairs, there is the potential for a child to be seriously hurt or even killed by someone who believes, especially in the middle of the night, that their residence is being broken into and ultimately determines there is an imminent threat to life and property." The Flower Mound Police Department and The Oak Harbor Police Department in Washington also said they have seen the trend on TikTok. 'Skinnytok' Weight-loss Trend Could Lead To Food Deprivation, Experts Caution The Fort Worth Police Department in Texas issued a similar warning recently. "This trend has been reported across the country, including right here in Texas," the Fort Worth PD said. "It is imperative that individuals partaking in this trend understand that even if no burglary or theft occur, this behavior is illegal and considered vandalism and can lead to criminal charges. More critically, it can be mistaken as an attempted break-in, potentially prompting dangerous or defensive responses from homeowners." The department further urged parents "to speak with their children about the risks and consequences of participating in trends like this," adding that "what may seem like a prank can result in very real trouble and/or danger." Meanwhile, another trend called "UrbanEx" has made headlines recently for putting participating social media users behind bars. The "challenge" encourages users to explore abandoned buildings, from old schools to churches to retail and entertainment establishments. The Harris County Constables in Precinct One in Texas recently announced the arrests of three 18-year-old men, who are accused of trespassing in the Houston Astrodome, which has been closed since 2009. The Constables office said security guards for the venue saw the three men enter the stadium around midnight and later spotted them running across a parking lot and jumping a fence. The three teens are charged with trespassing. "Sneaking into closed old historic buildings is dangerous," Constable Precinct One Alan Rosen said in a June 10 statement. "You are taking a risk for yourself and first responders, and it is against the law." A June 8 video showing the interior of the Astrodome posted by had nearly 845,000 views on TikTok. Child Safety Must Be Priority Of Tiktok Negotiations, Parents Group Urges Vp Vance Last year, a 23-year-old man named Guillermo Leflore, known as "Urbex Tarzan" on TikTok, was arrested after officials said he trespassed on private property while exploring steam tunnels. It wasn't his first time attempting a dangerous stunt for social media; he is accused of previously attempting to climb the Milwaukee Art Museum, as FOX 6 Milwaukee first reported. Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, told Fox News Digital that social media trends resemble what used to be games of truth-or-dare "on steroids." "You're reaching tens of thousands of people. You're not daring somebody face-to-face," Lightman said. "Why are they doing that? Is it just to get likes, and those likes might turn into followers, and those followers might turn into advertisers, and those advertisers might turn into profits for some people? Is it even real, or is it AI generated?" Defenders of the UrbanEx trend say it exposes historically significant structures that have been left to rot; many social media users have been calling on local city leaders to revive abandoned schools, houses, churches and event spaces. "Just the general lack of respect amongst children today, whether it's for people's property in the classroom or other people's feelings, it's a big problem. They're lacking empathy and respect because they're spending too much time in front of a screen and not enough understanding in real-life human emotion," Jordan said. She advised parents to join a Facebook group called "Parenting in a Tech World" where the "latest trends are being shared there from parents whose children are experiencing it in real time." She also advised parents to talk to their kids candidly and calmly about what they are seeing online, and Google the trends that are appearing on the social media pages. "Maybe your kid's playing Roblox and you don't think it's safe. Google dangers of Roblox. Show your child how other children have been harmed by adults they have been lured by on that platform so they realize you're not just being overprotective," she said. "All you can do is have candid calm conversations with them, and not just talking to them or talking at them, but asking them what they've seen. What did they think? What do they think the dangers are of hanging around an old building and recording it? Maybe they say they don't know, and that can encourage a conversation right there."Original article source: Deadly social media trend threatens kids, homeowners defending themselves: 'children are going to get killed'
The Sun
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
I tried free viral fan cooling ‘ice trick' to see if it REALLY works – it's a frosty miracle I'll use on every hot day
EVERY summer, you hear no end of tricks that are supposed to cool you down – but do any of them actually work? If you haven't noticed, it's an absolute scorcher outside. So I gave one one of those viral hacks – the "ice trick" for home fans – and I'm convinced it worked a treat. 7 The problem with a regular fan is that it's blowing the air at you, but not really cooling it down. After all, if the air in your house is hot, what can you do? Almost none of us have air conditioning. And the air in my house is hot. Britain is basking in glorious summer temperatures this week – but sadly I can't spend it by the beach. So instead, I tried a popular hack that involves putting a tray of ice right in front of a fan. It's meant to cool down the air that the fan is blowing at you. You see the trick all over social media, and it's no surprise: it's basically free and only takes a few minutes to set up. I ended up using about four ice cube trays when I gave it a go this morning, but you could buy a bag of ice for £1 if you don't have enough at home. Honestly, I was quite happy to spend five minutes handling ice. I'm about as heat-tolerant as a bowl of ice cream. It's 25C as I write this – and temperatures could climb to 31C where I live, or 36C in some parts of the UK. HOW I SET IT UP I put all of the ice into a regular baking tray. The one I chose wasn't too deep, because ultimately I wanted as much of the ice in contact with the air above. You're looking for something that's flat and roughly as wide as your fan. Watch Dyson's Hot+Cool air-purifying fan in action – including 'sleep' mode And because I was using a Dyson fan, I had to get my makeshift ice tray high up off the ground. I ended up using a fabric pouffe with a dinner tray on top of it. And to get a bit of extra height, I put a book-sized puzzle underneath the dinner tray. Then I sat the ice cube tray on top and let the fan work its magic. 7 7 7 FAN FAV? You feel the coolness instantly, but the effect dims significantly the further away I am. If I sat on the sofa across the room, it was hard to notice a difference. But when I sat really close to the fan, the difference between the iced and non-iced cooling was more noticeable. I could sit here all day. I probably will. There's also a psychological effect to just seeing the ice that I'm pretty sure made me feel cooler too. That has to count for something. OFFICIAL NHS TIPS TO COOL DOWN Here's the official NHS guidance for coping in hot weather... "Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter," the NHS said. "Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. "Keep your living space cool. "Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. "Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. "Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep." Picture Credit: Unsplash 7 I suppose the conundrum is: would I have been better off just using that ice to cool my body down? Potentially, yes. But ultimately, I had more ice in the freezer for that too – so both systems can work at the same time. Perhaps the real answer is: just make sure you have plenty of ice on a hot day – and then put it absolutely everywhere. In any case, this is a hot day go-to for me from now on. I just need to refill those ice cube trays... 7
National Post
19-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
What is a Labubu? And where can you buy one in Canada?
Article content These days, they're all about viral online trends spanning toys and fan merchandise to novelty foods like Dubai chocolate, specifically targeting the Gen Z consumer. Article content 'We are a data business at our core. We happen to manifest as a retailer, but we are a technology and data company, and so we are tracking data, billions of data points on any given day to try to understand the demand in the marketplace so that we can catch the next big thing,' Kulkarni explains. 'So, over the last 30 years, we've been the first retailer to launch everything from memory foam bedding 20 years ago, before memory foam bedding was a thing, to remote control helicopters, to weighted blankets, to the latest toy sensation or beauty sensation.' Article content Using artificial intelligence to comb social media platforms for up-and-coming trends, Kulkarni says they're now able to 'catch trends' faster than ever. Article content That approach is what allowed Showcase to jump on the Labubu trend early through its ongoing toy partnership with Pop Mart. 'We are the main retailer of Pop Mart products, which include Labubu in Canada,' he says. Article content The Labubu toys at Showcase are priced higher than on the Pop Mart website (in stock for $129.99 on Showcase for the new Big Into Energy Labubu versus sold out and $37.99 on the Pop Mart website). Article content The price increase, according to Kulkarni, is due to the demand and shipping costs. 'We're doing everything we can to try to keep costs reasonable. But it is a difficult environment.' Article content The Showcase executive says new launches appear on their site about two weeks after they launch — and invariably sell out in minutes — on the Pop Mart site. Article content 'But the easiest way that we would recommend to our customers is to go to the local store and see what's available there, because the store receives new stock almost every day,' Kulkarni says. Article content Facebook Marketplace is another hub for Labubu resale. A search of the term yields dozens of resale posts ranging in price from $20 for a 'Lafufu' — the name bestowed on the fake versions of the trending toy — to $300 for a full set of six Labubu Big Into Energy toys. Article content As the hype around Labubus continues to grow — Kulkarni refers to the toys as a 'global sensation' — the demand for the products seems to show no sign of slowing down. Article content 'It rivals the biggest trends in toys over the past 30 years that we've seen,' he says. 'Whether it's Cabbage Patch Kids or Webkinz or Beanie Babies or Shopkins back in the day, or even Disney Frozen was a giant trend for us. Article content Article content
