To all King Philip families,
I would like to inform all parents and guardians of an alarming trend that has resurfaced on the social media site Tik Tok regarding a viral trend that encourages users to engage in risky behavior.
The “salt and ice challenge” first began to appear on the site a few years ago, and has begun to reappear on the site within the past few weeks. The trend challenges users to apply salt to their exposed skin and then cover the area with an ice cube, ice pack, or other frozen objects. The intention is to produce a frozen section of the body, similar to the effects of frostbite. Multiple students in our district have been discussing this trend in recent days.
This trend can cause serious physical harm to the participant, including damaged or scarred skin, or possibly worse. Many students may not be aware of the short- or long-term damage this action can cause.
We encourage all parents and guardians to talk to their children about the dangers of viral social media trends, and about the importance of engaging in safe, smart behavior in general whenever online. The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has several tips for parents on how to best teach social media best practices to children. They can be found at childwelfare.gov/topics/management/workforce/socialmedia/safety.
Should you have any questions about this trend or any other topic relating to online or social media safety, please contact your building principal or the school nurse’s office.
Sincerely,
Paul Zinni, Superintendent