The game, known as
Neknominate, is thought to have originated in Australia and is now
sweeping the world. It involves you filming yourself downing a drink --
often alcoholic and of large quantities -- and then nominating a friend
to outdo you. All this is posted on social media -- be it Facebook or
YouTube.
But what started for some
as fun has turned deadly; at least five men aged under 30 have died
after drinking deadly cocktails. Now health professionals are warning
young people of the risks of consuming large amounts of alcohol in a
short time.
"This is a lethal game," Dr. Sarah Jarvis, medical adviser for the UK-based charity Drinkaware,
told CNN. "The point about alcohol is that it affects your ability to
recognize that you're in danger, and it absolutely affects your ability
to react to danger. So we have a double whammy."
There appears to be no
limit to the type of drinks that are consumed, and in what matter. Each
nomination becomes more and more daring and outlandish.
It started as exhibitionism with A woman stripping in the supermarket
and downing a drink, but the bravado has escalated into extreme
cocktails: One mixes spirits with a dead mouse, in another a man drinks
out of a toilet, and the craze has seen players consume alcohol with
goldfish, insects, engine oil and dog food.
Unsurprisingly the trend has prompted politicians to demand that schools play a bigger role.
"The Facebook drinking
game Neknomination has gone viral, and very sadly young people have died
as a result," said UK opposition spokesman Diana Johnson. "What role do
schools have in building resilience in our young people to resist peer
pressure?"
The role of social media
giants like Facebook is also coming under scrutiny. Brian Viner, whose
own son has played the game, demanded that those companies face up to
their responsibilities.
His son was nominated and pressured to play the game but drank water instead of vodka so as not to harm himself.
"I was cross with him
but more cross with the social media involved and the way this game has
just spread," Viner said. "The whole thing is madness and it needs some
kind of sharp and swift action on the part of these social networks to
stop it."
Facebook said in a
statement: "We do not tolerate content which is directly harmful, for
example bullying, but behavior which some people may find offensive or
controversial is not always necessarily against our rules.
"We encourage people to
report things to us which they feel breaks our rules so we can review
and take action on a case by case basis."
But Dr. Jarvis rejected this defense, saying Facebook must recognize its own role in the game.
"It's very difficult in
this day of personal liberties to say that Facebook shouldn't be
condoning this or taking these videos offline.
"Personally, I would
like to see that happening. Frankly, if the thrill wasn't there, your
mates weren't seeing you, I expect it would very rapidly fizzle out."
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