Pool feces and sunburn bragging: Why are young people obsessed with viral challenges?

Throughout the summer , several swimming pools in Cantabria have been closed due to the presence of feces in the water. "The large pool is closed until further notice following a health problem caused by uncivil behavior that has required the pool water to be purified," Torrelavega City Council said in a statement regarding one of the incidents. Sources within the institution attributed the situation to a " supposed challenge."

However, Cantabria isn't the only region affected by this problem. As local media reports, there have been more cases in the Basque Country , specifically in a club in Sopela and in the municipality of Orduña , both located in Vizcaya.

The Segovia City Council also issued a press release denouncing the same behavior : "An act of vandalism that occurred last night at the municipal swimming pool has forced the temporary closure of the 'senior citizens' pool' in order to restore the hygiene and sanitation standards in the water, which had been altered by the actions of one or more people."

It's not the only trending challenge on social media this summer. TikTok has been filled with videos of people showing off their skin tone, often sunburned, before and after a week of vacation. "It's absurd," says José Aguilera, coordinator of the Spanish Photobiology Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV).

"Squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are the two most common cancers in humans . The incidence of melanoma is lower, but it's the one that can kill you if not caught early. This means that the predisposition to skin cancer is a consequence of sun exposure," explains the doctor.

He adds that people with skin type 1 , characterized by light skin, blue eyes, or red hair, are more prone to developing cutaneous melanoma. "That mole evolves quickly , changes color, and becomes asymmetrical in its edges; it grows and you don't even realize it. It could be the result of a simple , very intense sunburn in your youth . You're risking skin cancer in a few years; it's like getting in a car and driving on the highway the wrong way," he says.

Regarding raising awareness among young people about this disease, he recalls that the "elixir of youth" is the use of sun protection : "The message we're sending now is that spending 20 minutes or two hours in the sun without protection will cause spots on your face and aging. That worries them, but having cancer doesn't."

He also emphasizes that the key to curbing this trend is "education." "Many people enjoy sun and beach tourism. You see them sunburned, but happy. The tan will last a month, but the damage will last. At 2:00 p.m., a few minutes in the sun without protection can already cause DNA damage . We don't want to create photophobia, just adequate exposure," he concludes.

Do they do it to integrate?

For psychologist Sergio García Soriano , "no one knows exactly why some viral challenges become popular and others don't." "They tend to be easily achieved and have some kind of punchline or something unusual. That attention-grabbing appeal gains strength because it's unexpected," he tells this newspaper .

He also admits that the social media algorithm and people's predisposition to do so also come into play . "Teenagers look to their surroundings: social media, older friends, or television . Because they're pretending to be older, they think emulating the challenge will make them feel brave, in other words, it's related to fitting into a reference group," he continues.

Regarding whether young people are unaware of the risks of these practices, the psychologist believes that "they think they are immortal." "Although there is a generic rationalization that something bad could happen to them as a result of a challenge in which they put their life at risk , for them this is weighted by the immortality bias. It tells them it won't happen to them, it cloaks the information, and therefore minimizes the existing risks," he notes.

She also clarifies that social media, whether in person or online, "influences us all." "Teenagers are digital natives and don't see the danger. Sometimes they can see TikTok as a friend sharing information , and if they don't have the right judgment, they take it as reality. They also need validation from their peers," she points out.

Finally, she discusses how to build that criterion to avoid these challenges: "It involves three questions: what are they saying to me? Who? And why? " This will help you avoid being influenced, although she acknowledges that these types of challenges "have always existed ." "Now they're on social media, but even in games, like truth or dare, they're present. If they put your health at risk, you have to try to avoid them , but we have to remember that you can't close the door. The important thing is to be able to have a life rich in face-to-face friendships, movies, reading, or goals. That way, the challenges that come in the form of viral challenges will have a limited space within your world," she insists.