Netflix is urging viewers worldwide not to take part in a viral internet challenge inspired by a hit new horror film on the streaming service.
She and her two children, known only as Boy and Girl, are forced to navigate difficult terrain while unable to see - a challenge now being emulated by legions of fans, reports regional news site BirminghamLive.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The internet has been flooded with videos showing people going about their everyday lives while wearing blindfolds for the so-called Bird Box challenge.
As NME notes, “the majority of videos end in harmless embarrassment”. But there have also been injuries, “with people running into walls or dangerously close to traffic”, says BirminghamLive.
One video appears to show “a man with his child and toddler all blindfolded - it ultimately leads into the toddler running full-on head-first into a wall”, reports LADbible.
“So far there are no reports of anyone being hospitalised due to activities undertaken as part of the internet craze, but in the past other crazes have caused people to need serious medical attention,” adds the social media-based news site.
In a bid to prevent such mishaps, Netflix has tweeted a message pleading with fans not to attempt the challenge.
Bird Box was watched by 45 million Netflix subscriber accounts in the first week following the film’s release in December, the biggest opening for any movie in the streaming site’s 12-year history.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
