Viral Video Challenge Encourages Mexican Teens To Snort Cocaine

A truly morbid version of the ice bucket challenge is starting to go viral throughout Mexico, only this variant challenges teenagers to snort cocaine.

The videos known as “Rito Del Pasesito,” or the “little pass challenge,” originated in Mexico and are now becoming popular among the country’s more affluent teenagers. Participants film themselves doing a line of cocaine and then challenge others to film themselves doing the same. Although the trend has only been forming for the last week, one of these videos has already received over 16,000 views.

Mexican authorities have launched an investigation into the video and Facebook have already blocked a page promoting them. However, the videos are still being circulated by curious enthusiasts and have even developed a hashtag on Twitter.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association, a primary recipient of the ice bucket challenge funds from last year’s craze, have publicly condemned the new cocaine fad. Chris James, speaking on behalf of the charity, said that “no one could think that this type of online challenge could be a good thing.”

The ice bucket challenge formula has also led to the creation of a lethal drinking game called Neknominate, which was blamed for four deaths throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The game requires participants to down a pint of an alcoholic beverage in one swig, nominate two other people to do the same and then post the footage to the web.

In February 2014, one mother publicly shamed her 19-year-old son, Kieran Hunter, by posting a photo of him passed out and covered in his own vomit after he nearly died from participating in the game. He had consumed three bottles of liquor as part of the online drinking game.

“When I woke up, I got a good telling off. I had a major hangover and a load of abuse on Facebook,” he said. “I was really stupid. If I’d known people had died from doing it, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”