A senior fire chief has slammed a dangerous stunt circulating through the TikTok social media app.
Known as the ‘Penny Challenge’, the viral game sees teenagers plugging a charger part of the way into the wall before trying to get a spark by touching the prongs with a penny.
In the US, firefighters have already had to race to a school when the stunt went wrong and caused a fire.
Now Michael Clusker, a station manager in Carlisle, Cumbria, has said teens taking inspiration from the challenge and imitating it need to be more responsible.
‘The outcome from this is that someone will get seriously hurt,’ Mr Clusker said. ‘Every year there are numbers of people killed by electrical shocks. It can kill you if it gets you right.
‘Anything that interferes with electrical equipment – unless you are a qualified electrician – is very dangerous.’
He added: ‘I do think social media is an issue, giving people ideas that are probably not ideal. People should take responsibility for their own actions.
‘In my 25 years in the job I have seen the consequences of people overstepping the mark when it comes to showing off. We would encourage people not to mimic or copy some of the reckless stunts that are commonly viewed on social media.’
‘When emergency services do attend these incidents, it does take up vital resources that should be available for other emergencies. People take risks. Some in vehicles, driving recklessly. You could get a similar outcome as someone who messes with a switch.’
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