bird box netflix
photo: Netflix

If you thought we left the nonsense of 2018 behind us in the new year, you are poorly mistaken. Unfortunately, in 2019, people are still obsessed with viral challenges. Shocker! While not as stupid as eating Tide Pods or jumping out of a moving car, the newest challenge is still pretty darn ridiculous. Basically, the youth are willingly blindfolding themselves and wandering about the world like the characters in Bird Box — the insanely popular Netflix film starring Sandra Bullock.

People have been hyping up Bird Box since it started streaming on Netflix at the end of December. Even Kim Kardashian found the time to watch it. 

And like every viral sensation, there were tons of memes to come out of it, mostly focusing on Bullock's character having to wear a blindfold in order to avoid seeing the supernatural creatures that make people kill themselves. You know, normal everyday stuff.

Then, of course, the memes graduated into a viral challenge. Ugh. Meet #BirdBoxChallenge.

They started out innocent enough, with people combing their hair while blindfolded or finding and opening a beer.

Even GMA day host Michael Strahan participated in the challenge.

Then things started getting out of hand as people tried more dangerous things, like walking around inside and outside their homes while unable to see. The results are pretty much as expected.

Smh.

One particular #BirdBoxChallenge video is especially concerning. A man leading two children through the home, while all three are wearing blindfolds, ended with a toddler slamming her head into the wall. 

The video has been watched over 90,000 times on Facebook alone, but also found its way to Twitter and Instagram.

Now it's at the point where Netflix had to make a statement encouraging people NOT to do the #BirdBoxChallenge. "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," the streaming giant wrote.

Others are encouraging people to partake in the challenge as a way of modernized natural selection. I kid you not.

And some are concerned with how this challenge can perpetuate myths about blind people not being able to complete everyday tasks. It's all just gotten way out of hand.

Can the #QuietPlaceChallenge be the next viral sensation in 2019 and everyone just shut up? This is my official petition.