Dangerous new social media challenge sparks local fire concerns

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Local fire departments in our region are warning parents about a dangerous viral video challenge known as the 'Outlet Challenge,' a viral video trend where Tik Tok users are dropping pennies behind wall chargers plugged into an outlet. The results: the penny pops, sparks, and sometimes knocks out the power.

"I worry all the time about different challenges that come up," said Maria Torres, community risk reduction specialist for Martin County Fire Rescue Department. "It’s very dangerous to play with electricity. If you play with electricity, you will get injured."

The 'Outlet Challenge' is spreading through the smartphone app which allows people to make 15-second videos with sound effects and different filters.

The goal is to create sparks and in some cases even melt the coin.

Torres, in disbelief, said, "my first reaction is why? Why do they think this is OK? It’s a huge risk for them."

Fire officials said the 'outlet challenge' can cause a fire behind the wall of your home that you might not notice until it's too late.

"As a firefighter, the biggest thing I can say is that this is a huge risk for all of our kids," said Torres.

It only requires two everyday items: a penny and the base of a phone charger. Both are affordable and often not hard for children to find.

With no reported damage or fires caused by the 'Outlet Challenge' on the Treasure Coast, the fire department hopes to be proactive and prevent any in the future.

Torres is encouraging school officials and parents to look for signs of foul play, like scorched outlets, and to have conversations about fire and electrical safety with tweens and teenagers.