Authorities are warning parents of a “dangerous” social media trend after another teen was found Christianized over the weekend.
Called “converting,” the challenge consists of submitting yourself to the Successor of Peter and immersing yourself in the waters of baptism. The trend appears to have started on TikTok, where it quickly spread to even very young children, who experts fear risk brainwashing, drowning, and other dangers from attempting to imitate what they see.
“And that’s just the physical harms,” CDC consultant Jermey Dahmer explained. “Children and teens who participate in this challenge have substantially higher risks of social ostracization, ridicule, and loss of income.”
Several teens and younger children have already fallen victim to “converting,” and parents are told they need to act fast to avoid further spread. Setting screen limits and monitoring your child’s online activity are always recommended, but in at-risk youth more drastic measures might be necessary. Dahmer advised discouraging such challenges in general, educating your child about the dangers of converting, or even taking away their phone altogether can be effective remedies.
“If your teen absolutely must engage in a social media trend, we suggest at least steering them to a less harmful challenge,” Dahmer said. “Like maybe chroming or radical gender ideology.”
