In its first week of streaming on Netflix, Bird Box was viewed a record 45 million times. Sadly, just a couple of weeks later on January 2, Netflix issued a public health warning, urging people not to blindfold themselves and participate in any “Bird Box Challenges,” as thousands of videos emerged of people stumbling around with scarves over their eyes, many hurting themselves in the process. Challenges have varied from a Good Morning America anchor applying makeup to a co-host, to a tattoo artist inking a client and one woman even driving her car into oncoming traffic, all whilst blindfolded.

What is the Bird Box Challenge?

Bird Box is one of Netflix’s latest films starring Sandra Bullock about a post-apocalyptic world where supernatural entities drive people to commit suicide if they look at it. This leads to people wearing blindfolds whenever they have to venture outside. Netflix partnered up with four Twitch streamers to play popular video games while blindfolded and called it the Bird Box Challenge. Once the Internet got hold of this concept it turned into a global meme that has led to people doing day-to-day activities blindfolded. Some of these have been harmless fun, some stupid and others just downright dangerous.

Bird Box Tattoo Challenge

One of the more ridiculous Bird Box Challenge ideas comes from Brazil where a video has emerged of a blindfolded tattoo artist (and the word artist is being used very loosely here) tattooing another man. The design was meant to be a rather childlike drawing of a man’s face and, as you can expect, turned out as a bunch of lines and squiggles on the client’s chest, despite him trying to guide the artist’s hand.

A Twitter user had also previously posted a photo of a rose tattoo that her coworker done while blindfolded while blindfolded, which was at least recognizable and small. The best option for these tattoo challenges is going to be cover-up work by real artists or laser removal.

Netflix and the police urge people to stop challenges

It hasn’t taken Netflix long to realize that what they started as some harmless, fun promotion for the movie has instead gone viral for all the wrong reasons. They have released several statements via social media to urge people not to participate in any Bird Box challenges as they fear for people’s safety. Police in Utah have released similar warning after a 17 year-old girl drove into oncoming traffic wearing a blindfold and the British Transport Police have released statements following a man “quite literally playing a game of life and death” as he walked along live train tracks near Bridgend in South Wales. The video footage also shows a friend warning him of an oncoming train, but he continues to walk around blindfolded. 200,000 people have viewed this idiotic stunt on YouTube, who have since banned dangerous Bird Box footage.

What started out as some harmless fun has turned into mindless stunts by people eager to impress friends and gain thousands of YouTube views. Choosing to get a tattoo by someone who is blindfolded has the potential to be dangerous and the tattoo is never going to look good or be something that you want to remember in a few year’s time. More importantly, remember that many of these stunts are criminal acts and can lead to serious harm to yourself and others, so avoid them altogether.