The latest dangerous TikTok challenge is here and it’s already a nightmare for parents.
Police in Florida and Georgia are warning their communities of the newest viral TikTok challenge wreaking havoc and causing harm in the area.
The #OrbeezChallenge has teens using a gel-ball gun or an airsoft gun to shoot Obreez- circular water gel beads — at friends or civilians.
While Orbeez are soft to the touch, they can lead to injury and even break the skin when shot from a gun. Some teens have even been caught freezing the water gel beads to increase the impact, according to police.
The majority of the TikTok videos show teens laughing and having shootouts with friends, but this new trend isn’t all fun and games.
“I got a challenge for all those teenagers that don’t have anything to do come over to my house and rake my yard I have plenty of leaves,” Angel L Berrios joked on Facebook.
But others pointed to the possible dangers of the viral challenge. “Take these off the market!!!! Some people will shoot back!!!!!” Kelly L SantaMaria warned in a post.
“With the several children that have been killed because they played outside with toy guns, I would never let my children do that,” Joe Williams said on Facebook.
Police in the southern states have warned that they are taking these shootings seriously and will bring criminal charges against anyone caught firing these gel beads at another person.
Several teens have already been arrested and charged in connection to Orbeez Challenge shootings.
Kyle Cochran, 18, has been arrested for allegedly shooting a splatter gun at another driver in Collier County, Florida, according to NBC 2.
The unidentified woman followed the car filled with teens when they jumped out of the car and ran toward her with their weapons. She told officers she feared for her life not knowing if the guns were real and was left with injuries on her face.
Officers in Volusia County, Florida also warned of a string of Orbeez shootings in the area leading to four arrests so far, police confirmed to The Post. Shocking Ring security footage showed the moments a mother and her baby were shot at while walking in their driveway.
An unidentified 19-year-old in the same county has been arrested and charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, child abuse and two counts of battery for firing at an Amazon driver and a 10-year-old child, according to the sheriff of Volusia County.
The driver reported being hit in his glasses and neck and the child was also pelted in the neck and chest.
At least four other teens have also been arrested by Volusia County in connection to these shootings.
Another child in Peachtree City, Georgia was injured while riding his bike. The young boy was shot in his face and torso, leaving welts on the boy’s body, according to local police.
“In some cases, it could result in felony charges and parents could also be liable for the actions of their kids,” the Peachtree City Police Department warned on Facebook. “Even just shooting these on city property (not at another person) is a violation of city ordinance.”
The Ocala Police Department in Florida has also responded to calls of people being randomly shot with the water gel beads but has not made any arrests.
Spinmaster, the company which makes Orbeez, has not yet addressed issues stemming from the Orbeez Challenge. They are currently advertising an “Orbeez Challenge Activity Kit” “inspired by TikTok’s #OrbeezChallenge.”
The toy set comes with six tools “to roll, shape, and crush” so that “kids can easily re-create similar effects they see online!”
The Post has reached out to Spinmaster for comment.
However, Spinmaster told NPR in a statement that “children’s product safety is paramount.”
“We are committed to providing children and their families with the highest quality toys, games and activities. Spin Master does not manufacture or sell gel guns,” a rep said. “Orbeez are designed for educational, creative, and sensory play and are not intended to be used as projectiles or inserted in mechanisms.”
These teens may be using the Orbeez Challenge to get creative and indulge in sensory play, but this viral challenge doesn’t seem to be one of the educational ways Spin Master intends for their toys to be used.
“At least with the tide pod challenge and the cinnamon challenge, they were only hurting themselves,” Judy Edwards commented on Facebook.
