Some children are reportedly playing a dangerous game of disappearing on purpose, which not only uses up police resources unnecessarily and scares their loved ones, but it can possibly pull police away from real emergencies.
The “48 Hour Missing Challenge” encourages children to vanish for 48 hours without telling their family where they are, CBS Baltimore reports. The challenge is primarily played by teens with the goal of getting noticed as a missing person on Facebook. Each time their name is mentioned on social media, the participants rack up points.
“This could be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of,” Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson, Officer Simon Drobik, said.
Previous versions of the prank appeared years ago, but police are taking the issue seriously, given the dangerous outcome of other teen pranks, such as the “Bird Box Challenge.”
“Whether it’s a prank or not, we are going to use the same amount of resources,” said Officer Drobik.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ ATTENTION ⚠️⚠️⚠️ If you haven't already heard, there is a new social media challenge for teens that is…
Posted by Olmsted County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, February 13, 2019
In January, a 13-year-old teen in South Carolina was found hiding in her house. Although it’s unclear whether the girl was participating in the challenge, her parents were worried over 24 hours and took to social media to share her photo.
Authorities were also involved, using up resources and manpower, along with dozens of search volunteers, who told WATE News they were outraged when they found out the girl was participating in the “48 Hour Challenge.”
FOX 5 reports that psychiatrists are warning parents not to assume their missing children are participating in the challenge. If a child is missing, it should be reported. However, police issued another stern warning. Anyone caught participating in the challenge can face legal consequences and charges, as it’s similar to encouraging someone to file a false police report.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
