Dangerous Trend – When Students Bring Online Games Out into the Streets

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Currently, many students are mindlessly copying social media trends, turning them into dangerous behaviors in real life such as flagging down cars, playing pranks on highways, or participating in other reckless challenges. These trends not only directly threaten the lives of the students but also endanger the entire community.

Recently, on social media and through reports from residents, groups of students have been gathering along National Highway 1, particularly the section from Dong Dang commune to Tam Thanh ward, engaging in behaviors such as laughing, joking, and waving at vehicles amidst heavy traffic. Some even use their phones to film videos and perform familiar actions often seen on TikTok. These actions are not only dangerous for other road users but also for themselves.

Ms. Hoang Thanh Dung from Dong Kinh ward said: "Every afternoon, I pass by the section near the gate of the Traditional Medicine Hospital and often see students standing right at the edge of the road, even spilling onto the motorbike lane, waving their hands at cars, laughing and joking. Accidents could easily happen. The danger is one thing, but what worries me more is how these children treat it as a game. If this continues, it will form a habit of disregarding their own safety and the safety of others."

This situation is not only occurring on the section of National Highway 1 passing through Tam Thanh ward, but also appears sporadically on several other routes such as National Highway 4B, and even on expressways, where there is a high volume of traffic, high speeds, and many potential dangers.

In the Zalo group "Traffic Safety for Peace in Lang Son", there have been at least three reports since the beginning of the year about students gathering, teasing, and filming on the road.

Mr. Hoang Viet Hung, a driver on the Lang Son – Hanoi route, shared: "While driving on this route, I frequently see young children running to the edge of the highway, teasing the drivers and filming them, even on the expressway. It's very dangerous; just a sudden brake, a swerve, or a child unexpectedly running into the road... the consequences could be disastrous."

Schoolchildren danced and teased cars on National Highway 1 near the Traditional Medicine Hospital.

According to observations by reporters on National Highway 1, from Km9+500 (near the entrance to the Traditional Medicine Hospital) to Km10+800 (near the Mailand Hoang Dong urban area), these groups of students usually appear in the afternoon, especially after school. They choose sections with self-made pathways leading to the highway or areas along the roadside to gather and play around.

On National Highway 1, an average of 14,000 to 17,000 vehicles pass through daily, including large trucks and container vehicles. With such high traffic density, even a moment of carelessness can lead to a serious accident.

Typically, on the afternoon of December 11th, near the entrance to the Traditional Medicine Hospital, reporters observed a group of seven students, after school, walking along the railway tracks onto National Highway 1, standing close to the roadside to tease passing vehicles.

After the children left the dangerous area, the reporter approached HMC, one of the students in the group. The boy honestly recounted: "After school, my friends invited me to come here to play. This is called the 'Chích còi trend,' I saw it on TikTok. I've only come here three times, sometimes twice a day. I have fun, my parents don't know I come here to play."

The innocent tone of a child's words can be quite worrying. Just one moment of mischief, one second of carelessness, and the consequences could be unpredictable.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy, from Hoang Son block, Tam Thanh ward, shared: "I was very surprised when the reporter showed me pictures of young children standing right at the edge of the road waving at cars. These children all live around this area. Seeing that makes me very worried, because it's not only dangerous for the children themselves but also poses many risks to passersby. My family also has young children, so we always tell them not to run or play in the street."

These seemingly harmless "trend-following" activities are actually harboring many risks and long-term consequences. Ms. Dam Thi Thanh Tam, Deputy Head of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee Office, stated: "These unconscious 'trends' on social media are becoming a real threat when young people imitate them thoughtlessly. The line between a joke and a traffic tragedy is sometimes so thin that it's unpredictable. This serves as a warning for families, schools, and relevant authorities to work more strongly in educating students about digital skills and traffic safety. In the coming time, we will direct the Traffic Safety Committees of communes and wards to strengthen propaganda and take decisive measures to prevent this situation; at the same time, we request families and schools to regularly cooperate in reminding and guiding children, contributing to ensuring traffic order and safety."

Although no accidents related to this situation have been recorded so far, if left unchecked, the consequences could be unpredictable. What needs to be done now is not only to remind children about traffic safety, but also to help them understand how to use social media responsibly and respectfully. Because keeping each child safe today is also keeping the roads safe tomorrow.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/trend-nguy-hiem-khi-hoc-sinh-dem-tro-mang-ra-duong-5068194.html