What is ‘Orbeez Challenge’, the new social media trend putting kids at risk?

A new social media craze, dubbed “Orbeez Challenge”, has raised concerns among law enforcement agencies in the US. This trend encourages kids to shoot strangers and each other with small water beads.

Multiple police department and sheriff’s offices in Florida have been receiving reports of people being hit by Orbeez gel beads fired from toy blaster guns. 

A Ring doorbell camera captured a Volusia County mother getting hit by gel beads in the arm while she was pushing a baby in a stroller up her driveway, Fox 35 reported on Thursday.

Orbeez is a specific brand-type for these water beads and the guns used to shoot them. These water beads are similar in size and shape to airsoft BBs.

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While the beads are not meant to be harmful, if they hit someone, they can cause serious injuries. It has been reported that several kids are also modifying these beads to make them more painful if someone is struck by them.

According to police in Peachtree City in Georgia, a boy suffered bruises on his face and arm after being shot with those water beads by a group of teenagers.

“As you can see from the attached photos from an incident [Monday] on the cart path, these can be very painful and can cause permanent injury,” the department wrote.

Several arrests have been made, including one in Deltona, Florida, where deputies took a 19-year-old in custody for shooting at an Amazon delivery driver, hitting him in his glasses and neck.

“The same shooter also shot another random adult and a 10-year-old child in the face and chest”, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. The shooter, who has been identified as Sean McMullen, has been charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, child abuse, and two counts of battery, according to local media Wesh.

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In another case, an 18-year-old and two others were accused of shooting three people with pellets. Diego Medina Vega was reportedly charged with battery and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Meanwhile, police in Fernandina Beach also reported similar incidents, but said that no one was hurt. However, they have urged parents to be aware of the trend and stop their children from hurting someone else.

“We share this information so that parents can be aware of this trend and if your teen has a gel blaster gun we encourage you to discuss the potential dangers of this new trend,” they said.