Remember when we all thought that with all of the information available to us at the touch of a button the Internet would make humanity smarter.

Joke’s on us.

Whether its Tide pod challenges on YouTube or some other dangerous craze on the video-driven Tik Tok platform, people are somehow competing to be the most clueless.

Well, at least a few of them are. The rest of us are freaking out about it so hard that our blood pressure is rising while teens sit back and laugh because these stunts are not nearly as “viral” as we think (at least not until we make them viral with our panic).

Of course, we all did dumb things as teenagers. In fact, it’s a wonder that most of us are still alive. But the Internet has not only made bad ideas more available, it’s also amplified the panic around things that are pretty isolated incidents.

The newest “viral challenge” involves electricity. And metal. And sometimes fire. Alas, it seems to be limited to just a few teens.

But with multiple incidents taking place in the state of Massachusetts, Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey felt compelled to send a letter to local schools and parents warning them to talk to their kids about it.

And it turns out you might really need to talk to your teen about not sticking things in outlets that don’t belong there. Better safe than sorry.

Ostroskey’s letter was fairly reserved, stating that the stunt “encourages unsafe behavior.” It involves teens recording themselves sliding a penny behind a partially plugged-in phone charger and the outlet.

Why? To create sparks.

Of course, that’s the one thing you DON’T want to happen around an electrical outlet. And most of us know that sparks can lead to fires or electrical system damage (have fun explaining that to your parents and getting a part-time job to fix it!).

That’s why the outlet is frowning at you!

In the letter dated January 21, 2020, Ostroskey said there had already been two incidents of damage from the challenge in Massachusetts, one leading to charges being filed against two 15-year-olds:

“We have had two incidents in Massachusetts that we are aware of: one in Holden where a concerned mother sent a photo of a scorched outlet to a news outlet (see photo), and one at a Westford High School, which the Department of Fire Services investigated. The student(s) responsible for starting the fire at the Westford Academy will face charges.”

Do you know what won’t be streaming live on Tik Tok? Your arson trial.

But while Boomers are freaking out, teens are sitting back and laughing at the idea that just because a few knuckleheads decided to pull a dumb stunt that this is what they’re all doing in the basement when no one is looking.

In fact, the greatest stunt teens ever pulled on the rest of us was to get the media to do their work for them.

Of course, even if it’s not a viral challenge, it wouldn’t hurt to ask your kid if they’ve heard of it and mention that it’s a bad idea. But the worst thing a parent can do if they want a teen to actually listen is to freak out.

And don’t be surprised if your teen cuts you off with their own life lesson – and that’s not to believe that a few incidents constitute a nationwide epidemic of stupidity.

Meanwhile, a lesson we could all learn? Don’t record yourself pulling dumb and dangerous pranks.

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Source: CBS News, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, WAAY News, Dazed Digital