It’s no secret that the new Netflix movie, Bird Box, is a massive hit. The scary flick amassed over 45 million streams in the first few days, and people were terrified of the story.
But now, people are trying to do exactly what Sandra Bullock’s character of Malorie is doing throughout the film — get through life with a blindfold on.
On social media platforms, the hashtag #BirdBoxChallenge started surfacing with people trying to do all kinds of things with blindfolds on. This caused Netflix to issue a statement, asking people to stop doing the challenge, as the streaming service didn’t want people to get hurt.
As the tweet read, they didn’t want people to “end up in hospital due to memes”.
Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes.
— Netflix (@netflix) January 2, 2019
But what is the Bird Box Challenge?
Well, it’s exactly what you think it is. You simply put on a blindfold and you try to navigate through life as if you were Bullock’s character.
While there are plenty of examples online of people doing the Bird Box Challenge, one seems to have captured the internet’s attention. It’s a blindfolded baby, running around with what appears to be a parent and a sibling. The baby runs straight into a wall, angering other parents who have seen the video.
https://twitter.com/birdboxmemes/status/1078251314331639808
There are also other examples of people walking around on the street, straight into traffic, and trying to do chores, such as grocery shopping. Given people can’t see anything, Netflix warns that this kind of behavior or challenge can indeed lead to hospitalization.
When the Dog has to go out, but you wanna make sure he doesn’t get caught lackin and run out in front of a car or something #BirdBoxChallenge #Birdbox pic.twitter.com/Yn0WjSNrm7
— Wes Finesse? (@WesFinesse_) December 26, 2018
But there are also some pictures online, where people simply pose for photos, pretending to do the Bird Box Challenge. Doing the Bird Box Challenge could certainly be dangerous given the right circumstances. As the streaming service said, stay safe and be smart.