PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KARK) – A teenager was seriously injured at school when some of his classmates used him in a dangerous viral prank that’s called the “Skull Breaker Challenge” on TikTok.
The challenge involves three people lining up to jump, but instead of the two people on the outside jumping, they kick the middle person’s legs out from under them.
Kimberly Hearn says that’s what happened to her son Ke’Avion.
“He doesn’t deserve that, no child deserves that,” Hearn said. “You made him fall on his head. That’s got to be so cruel, and you found it to be so funny.”
Ke’Avion says he was in the gym at Southeast Arkansas Preparatory High School when a couple of his classmates approached him.
“They said all you got to do is jump,” Ke’Avion recalled.
He says he didn’t know what those classmates were about to do to him.
“I jumped, they kind of kicked me out under my legs so I can’t land,” he said. “All I remember is being on the floor.”
Ke’Avion was treated at the hospital for a concussion.
Hearn says the prank was even more dangerous for her son, who a few years ago underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy for a large brain tumor.
“Why would you target him? He’s been through enough. He’s been through enough,” Hearn added.
Hearn also has questions for the school. She said the staff never called an ambulance when her son was unconscious and instead called her to come to the school.
According to Southeast Arkansas Preparatory High School Principal Jeremy Cegers, the teens involved have been suspended. He said in a statement:
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. Once staff was made aware of the incident, an investigation was immediately conducted and the students involved were suspended. A school assembly will be held tomorrow for all students to raise awareness of the harm that can be caused by activities like the “skull breaker challenge.”
Hearn has filed a report with Pine Bluff Police and met with the city attorney. She says she plans to press charges against the teens involved.
TikTok said it planned to remove the videos from its site, saying in a statement:
“The safety of our users is our top priority at TikTok, and we do not allow content that encourages or replicates dangerous challenges that might lead to injury. The behavior in question is a violation of our Community Guidelines and we will continue to remove this content from our platform. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off. For teens and their families on TikTok, we provide a number of safety controls in the app and educational resources on our Safety Center.
We also recommend that everyone review our Community Guidelines to learn about our code of conduct.”
