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Warning to parents over 'extremely dangerous' Superman online trend

By Rachael O'Connor

Warning to parents over 'extremely dangerous' Superman online trend

Parents have been warned to speak to their children about a potentially "extremely dangerous" new trend spreading on TikTok and other social media sites.

Videos of the Superman craze show young people linking arms, while one person jumps forward in a Superman pose, landing on the arms and being thrown up in the air.

A U.K. school has now issued a warning to parents that students taking part are risking serious injury.

A TikTok spokesperson told Newsweek: "For the safety of our community, we proactively detect and remove content that shows or promotes dangerous activity or challenges."

In a letter sent to parents, Rhyl High School wrote that it "has become apparent" that pupils are taking part in the craze, which they said "appears ... is currently a TikTok trend," according to North Wales Live.

"It is extremely dangerous and someone could potentially get seriously hurt," it warned.

"Outside on the yard, pupils have been seen standing right next to the concrete 'seating' blocks when doing this and should anyone move or fail to catch the one running, again they could be seriously injured."

Newsweek has contacted Rhyl High School for comment.

The school confirmed staff are dealing with the students caught taking part in the trend, and warnings will be issued to all the pupils "of the dangers and potential consequences."

They wrote that pupils "are seen doing this on leaving school too," and asked parents to "reinforce the dangers at home."

Newsweek searched both "Superman" and "Superman trend" on TikTok, where the phrase appears to have been blocked. Rather than bringing up videos, users are greeted by a screen with the words: "Your safety matters."

"Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being," the warning goes on, offering resources to report dangerous or damaging videos.

However, videos are available on YouTube, including montages of the Superman trends originally posted to TikTok.

Some videos show it going "wrong," either by accident or intentionally, such as unlinking arms at the last second, so the person jumping falls through.

Many clips of people taking part can also be found on Instagram and Facebook, and some Instagram reels have gained hundreds of thousands of likes.

Newsweek has reached out to YouTube, Instagram and Facebook for comment. This article will be updated should they respond.

A 2023 study found that 92 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 14 had access to a smartphone at home, rising to 97 percent for those aged 15 to 17, according to Statista.

Teenagers spent an average of 4.8 hours each day on social media platforms, with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat found to be the most attractive to younger users.

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