Over the years, the so-called "Hot Water Challenge," which consists of someone either drinking boiling water through a straw or having boiling water poured on them, has sent multiple children to the hospital.
Fifteen-year-old Kyland Clark of Indianapolis, Indiana, became yet another victim of severe burns in the dangerous YouTube challenge this month after he and a friend decided to prank each other — and he ended up with boiling water poured on his skin while he was sleeping.
"I looked down at my chest. My skin just fell off my chest, and then I looked in the mirror and I had skin falling off here and on my face," Clark told Boston ABC affiliate WCVB.
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He remained in a local hospital for one week while undergoing treatment for second-degree burns on his back, face and chest.
The teen is expected to heal, but Indiana University doctors warn that participating in the challenge can potentially lead to permanent disfigurement and in some cases, even death.
In fact, the "Hot Water Challenge" may have played a role in the death of Florida 8-year-old Ki'ari Pope, who saw the YouTube prank and was dared by her cousin to drink boiling water through a straw, according to the Palm Beach Post.
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The dangerous viral challenge dates back to a video showing a woman boiling a pot of water in her kitchen before pouring the water on her brother.
"Hot water challenge, ya'll," she says in the video, which was posted on WorldStarHipHop.com in 2014, but has since been removed from YouTube.
» RELATED: Boiling water sleepover prank leaves another teen with severe burns
The challenge is one of many in recent years to cause concern among parents.
In March, the "Hot Coil Challenge" led some to press their bare skin on the red hot coil of their stovetops for as long as possible. The "Tide Pod Challenge" landed others in the emergency room after ingesting the company's laundry detergent pods.
» RELATED: Number of Georgia kids eating laundry detergent pods has tripled
Earlier this year, the cruel "Blue Whale Challenge" encouraged young people around the world to physically injure themselves. More than 100 teen deaths have been linked to the digital game, according to The Sun.
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