HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - School officials are warning against a popular prank that has been spreading on social media.
The prank leaves students injured including one South Florida teen that spoke with 7News.
The 16-year-old student, A.L., said she fell victim to the prank and has been left suffering from both physical and emotional pain.
Several videos are circulating around the internet showing students jumping and violently falling to the ground after being tripped by others.
It is called the jump trip challenge or the tripping jump challenge.
In the video, the teen in the middle is told to jump but has no idea what will follow. When they jump, the teens on either side sweep their legs, the jumping teen falls and everyone laughs.
Though it seems funny, students are partaking in the prank not realizing that a fall that hard can cause serious damage. A.L. said that’s what happened to her.
“I don’t even know if it’s describable, how much it hurts,” she said. “Not just physically but mentally.”
A.L. said she reluctantly agreed to participate.
“They were asking me in class constantly, ‘Can we please make this video for our project?’ she said. “They said, ‘Who can jump the highest?’ I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to do it. Whatever.'”
Grainy video footage showed how it happened in the halls of South Dade Senior High, Feb. 4.
“I jumped really high, and I remember them kicking me off my feet, and I fell on my head,” said A.L.
A.L.’s attorney is planning to take legal action against the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system claiming the district has not done anything to stop the dangerous pranks on campus.
“We intend on proceeding against the Miami-Dade County School Board for allowing these acts, which are trending on social media, to take place within our schools,” said Daniel Wagner.
M-DCPS Chief Communications Officer Daisy Gonzalez-Diego released a statement that read in part, “The behavior on this video demonstrates a lack of good judgement on the part of those involved and will not be tolerated by our district. Parents are urged to speak with their children about the responsible use of social media and to remind them that respect and empathy for others is far more important than any online trend.”
“I don’t even want to go to school,” said A.L. “I started a new school, and I feel like people are laughing at me.”
According to the district, three students were disciplined in this case, and the mother of the victim did not want to press charges at the time of the incident.
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