Toronto Catholic District School Board warns of ‘dangerous’ social media trends

TORONTO — The Toronto Catholic District School Board is warning parents about “dangerous” social media challenges that are trending among students in Ontario schools.

The board says the challenges are recorded on video and shared online to encourage others to participate, but they can pose serious risks to students and the entire school community.

Among them is the so-called “paper clip challenge” that involves students inserting metal objects such as a paper clip into an electrical outlet and dropping a coin onto the prongs to cause electrical sparks.

The board says the “Chromebook challenge” involves placing paper clips, pencils or other objects into Chromebook USB ports to deliberately cause them to short-circuit, which can lead to overheating, burns or fire.

There’s also a trend that involves students attempting to “eliminate” one another using water guns, Nerf-style projectiles, or other replica guns in public areas, known as the “senior assassin challenge.”

Police and fire services across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area also have issued warnings about participating in such challenges, as have other school boards across North America after several injuries and fire incidents were reported elsewhere.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.

The Canadian Press