You may be following the actions and behaviors of the new White House closely. But you may not be as aware that within American high schools...
Students are lining up and throwing backpacks at each other.
#backpackchallenge
The trend is called the #BackPackChallenge. It's "basically one person running straight while people on the side throw their backpacks at the person running," 18-year-old Las Vegas high schooler Kordell Wooten teensplained to BuzzFeed News. Here's Wooten and his friends attempting it:
#BACKPACKCHALLENGE
Wooten said he recently watched a video online of the Backpack Challenge and was tempted to try it with his friends.
The real challenge here is to run through the barrage of backpacks without being knocked down. "It's hard to do. Like, most people can't stay up running through people's heavy backpacks," 18-year-old Erin Whitney (in the "Pink" sweatshirt in her classroom video below), added.
lol he almost made it @o_ethanoyler #backpackchallenge
Whitney, who attends Lee's Summit High School in Missouri, told BuzzFeed News there was chatter about the new challenge among her classmates. When their teacher left the classroom for a second, they all gathered to try it for themselves.
"It's just for fun," she added. "There's no rhyme or reason to it."
Whitney recommends there should be a good handful of participants to make it more challenging. "Because if only two backpacks are thrown at you, you could probably run through it just fine," she said.
#backpackchallenge
"So you need a good amount of backpacks."
#BackPackChallenge
The Backpack Challenge is not an entirely new concept. It first popped off on Twitter a few months ago, but it wasn't until it got a ~rebranding~ from #BookBagChallenge to #BackPackChallenge that it really stuck among teens.
#bookbagchallenge 😂😂😂
Who tf calls em book bags ? #BackPackChallenge sounds way cooler any ways smh https://t.co/Ax3FsnfTtx
In the just last few days, the hashtag has been flooded with challenge videos (reminiscent of earlier, simpler times).
#backpackchallenge
Brett Maes, a 17-year-old from Springfield, Missouri, told BuzzFeed News the challenge is completely voluntary — and completely in good fun. "Everyone gets a good laugh and no one gets seriously hurt," he said.
#BackPackChallenge
"The first runner has always volunteered to do it and it's never been a case of bullying, hazing, or whatnot," Maes said.
Both Whitney and Wooten seem to share similar sentiments.
"It's just something kids in school like to do for fun," Whitney added.
WELLP. So there you have it.
#backpackchallenge smh...