Stunt videos turn out fatal

A 22-year-old singer and dancer from Tumakuru fractured his spinal cord while attempting a backflip for a TikTok video.

He underwent treatment in Bengaluru but didn’t survive. He died eight days after the incident.

Behavioural analysts say the increasing number of TikTok accidents are connected to personal traits.

People with show off traits don’t think rationally and jump into such acts, observes Dr Naveen Jayaram, consultant psychiatrist, Sakra World Hospital.

“People earlier sought thrills through activities like biking or bungee jumping. Now, the younger generation gets instant satisfaction when people share and appreciate their videos on social media. Some are even highlighted by media outlets,” he says.

He warns people given to such stunts may also be prone to intoxicants that result in an instant dopamine rush.

Citing the example of people who do wheelies in the middle of the traffic, the doctor says, “They are not able to understand logic and believe they can handle any risky situation.”

Such impulsive youngsters cannot wait at traffic signals and are restless, he observes.

“They get influenced easily too. People who are impulsive do not always reveal it to their family. It’s when they get into trouble that we help and counsel them,” he says.

In the last five years, the number of such incidents has increased.

Dr Divya Shree K R, consultant psychiatrist, Aster CMI Hospital, says some people seek novelty at any cost.

“They are forever taking high risks; this is what drives them. Apps like TikTok work as a platform for such behaviour, as the video goes viral faster. That becomes the drive,” she says.

The impact of social media on the human brain is just like addiction to drugs or alcohol, she adds.

“The high is pretty similar; getting the likes, being visible and getting appreciation on social media is pretty similar. The same neurochemicals are involved in substance abuse and in people who are addicted to social media and such apps,” she explains.

Divya notes that the opportunities for showing off is higher. Impulsive people can be treated or helped with medicines that address low serotonin, she adds.

Tips for the impulsive

- Take a break from something which makes you want to react instantly.

- Practice deep breathing and meditative exercises.

- Practice self-restraint. Start with small things.

- Analyse the positives and negatives of each action.

- Get regular exercise and get it regularly.

- Trust your gut feeling. Avoid things that seem bad for you.

TikTok stunts gone wrong

- In June, a video showing a man performing dangerous stunts on a Delhi police car went viral. It shows a shirtless man seen stepping out of a moving vehicle and doing push-ups on it.

- In a bizarre incident in June, a sixth standard boy from Kota, Rajasthan was found dead in the bathroom, while executing a TikTok challenge. The boy was found with a mangalsutra and bangles on.

- In February this year, three college students in Tamil Nadu were having a joyride while one of the pillion riders was making a TikTok video. The bike lost balance and smashed into a bus resulting in the death of one of the three.

- In January, a farmer from Punjab lost his life while he was trying to get on to a moving tractor which had a cultivator attached to it.