This is the new Internet fad that is much more dangerous than you might imagine: it appeared just a few weeks ago – initially in Australia and later in the US and some European countries – and has already been blamed for the deaths of five people in Britain alone.
They are then asked to implement their craziest idea: for example, to stay in their underwear in a department store, as a young girl did a few days ago.
Other recent examples include a woman who rode into a supermarket on horseback, a young man who skateboarded on a highway, and a student who consumed large amounts of alcohol in a packed university auditorium.
His stepmother posted an article online about another tragedy caused by Neknominate, commenting: “You all need to stop immediately.” Bradley is believed to have consumed the equivalent of 30 shots of gin in the two-minute video. He then challenged other friends to “beat” his feat.
Parents in despair
In recent weeks, British parents have been discovering one after another that their children are part of the sick chain of Neknominate.
"A few days ago my 15-year-old son recorded on video and uploaded to the Internet the mixture of alcoholic drinks he consumed through his boot. He had mixed frozen beans and a raw egg with half a bottle of vodka," is the testimony of the father of a British teenager.
The mother of a 19-year-old from Scotland was shocked to find her son unconscious and slumped on the sofa in their home. He had previously participated in a round of Neknominate.
The woman decided not to sit idly by: she uploaded the photo of her fainting son to Facebook in order to raise public awareness and hold the social network accountable. However, Facebook responded that it could not block the videos of participants in the “game” as they did not violate the terms of use of the service.
The phenomenon
The term Neknominate was coined by teenagers in Australia and New Zealand, who began posting videos on the Internet showing them drinking large amounts of alcohol and then performing bizarre or dangerous acts (e.g. drinking drinks through the toilet bowl).
The phenomenon was immediately described as "stupid", but it soon became part of a global culture among young people from Australia, the US and Britain. The relevant Facebook group that was created gathered thousands of likes within a few weeks.
Those who took the challenges
– Ross Cummins, a 22-year-old DJ from Dublin, died on Saturday 1 February from excessive alcohol consumption during a Neknominate challenge.
– Stephen Brooks, a 29-year-old from England, died on Sunday 9 February in Cardiff after downing two bottles of vodka in one gulp.
– Isaac Richardson, a 20-year-old student, collapsed on 8 February in London after drinking a cocktail of whisky, vodka and white wine.
– Bradley Eames, a 20-year-old rugby player, drank 30 shots of gin and tea. He died on 10 February.
Source: tanea.gr
