The #CockroachChallenge Is the Internet’s Weirdest New Craze

Between the Kiki challenge that saw people jump out of moving cars, the Tide Pod one where teenagers started swallowing detergent capsules, and the Falling Stars challenge that had rich kids falling out of cars, yachts and planes to humblebrag about their wealth, the internet instigates some weird shit. What’s even weirder is how people simply disregard the dangers involved and don’t realise that they might actually break their backs from trying to break the internet.

Now, the newest thing trending online is a challenge that involves people putting cockroaches on their face. Let that sink in.

While most people are likely to shriek when they spot a cockroach in their kitchen, Alex Aung from Myanmar decided he would put one on his cheek and take a selfie. He shared a photo of this on Facebook with a caption that declared it a challenge, daring others to do it. The post not only had over 18,000 shares, 5,700 likes and 500 comments when we wrote this, but has also inspired an avalanche of attempts of people playing around with the pest to gain popularity on the internet for completing the #CockroachChallenge.

The "daring" act is now being displayed by many Twitter users as well, especially by young people in Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines. Some are even putting the common kitchen pest on or in their mouths.

Deep-fried cockroaches may be a delicacy in some countries. But, as insects that can cause allergic reactions, asthma and a whole bunch of bacteria-based diseases, they really aren’t the kind of roaches you want in your mouth. But for now, this bizarre challenge is the new pest infecting the internet.

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