ELLISVILLE, Mo. — Viral challenges can be dangerous, and teenagers are highly influenced by them.
One local 13-year-old and his family made the brave decision to share their story and show how the risk isn't worth the views.
A video showed a 13-year-old in an Ellisville neighborhood inflating a basketball when suddenly, the ball erupted.
“What was that noise? A gunshot? A firework?” Melissa Kraemer said. “Almost like a bomb going off.”
The basketball exploded with Melissa Kraemer's son, Max, standing right over it.
He was rushed to the hospital where they found out his hand took the brunt of it, but he also scratched both corneas and had partial hearing loss.
“At first, I thought surely that was an accident,” she said.
But it was no accident. Max saw a viral challenge online that involves over-inflating a basketball.
“He had a video of some friends who had done something similar,” she said.
Max said the social media feeds of teenagers are inundated with risky videos.
“It’s like everywhere, you'll see people doing every challenge. Just trying to find new stuff to do,” he said.
When asked what motivated him to try it, Max said, “Content, money, get new stuff.”
When asked if they do it to get more followers, he nodded.
Luckily, doctors said Max will fully heal. His mom said she hopes he's learned life is full of consequences.
“He was very scared I think he still very scared about what could have happened and how this could have gone down,” the mother said.
Experts say these tweens and teens often don't consider the real risks or consequences. Parents should talk to their kids about how online stunts that seem silly and fun-- can go wrong-- and cause injuries.