Can’t people enjoy online jokes without turning them into a challenge that might kill them? The answer is no. Just as the Tide Pod challenge that came before it, over Christmas, the tremendous success of Bird Box spawned a possibly hazardous trend.

In the film, Sandra Bullock spends half the time pregnant and shell-shocked, and the other screaming at two young children who have been born into a hell world where if you open your eyes outside you have a sudden urge to kill yourself.

Thus the Bird Box challenge was born with people trying to carry out their everyday lives blindfolded and filming it for clout online. Netflix has had to issue an official warning asking fans of the film not to put themselves in danger over the online craze.

“Can’t believe I have to say this, but: please do not hurt yourselves with this Bird Box challenge,” they wrote via the official US Netflix Twitter account. “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.”

Some videos depict some parents blindfolding their children, with one toddler running straight into the wall – obviously the parent couldn’t see the wall was approaching given that they also had blindfolds on.

Over 45 million accounts watched Bird Box, a claustrophobic thriller heightened by the character’s sensory deprivation. 

Many credit the fact that the film is the biggest opening for any movie in Netflix’s 12-year streaming history with the hilarious online commentary and hundreds of memes. A few of which I have carefully selected for you to make your life more bearable.