Remember the advice you got as youngsters not to stick a fork or your finger in a wall socket? It looks like there is a new social media equivalent for the digital age. 

Social media is full of challenges. Some have been beneficial and helpful and worthwhile, such as the “ice bucket challenge” of a couple of years ago to raise money and awareness for ALS.

There’s one circulating on social media channels that you don’t want your kids to pursue. 

It’s being called the outlet challenge and in it, according to first responders, people in the videos partially plug a phone charger into an outlet. They then place a penny onto the exposed prongs, creating a spark and smoke.

But that can lead to more than just a spark and a smoke. It can lead to fires and to the electrocution of the person placing the penny on the prongs. 

The “outlet challenge” can do damage to the outlet and to the electrical wiring. That in turn could lead to a fire burning behind the walls. At a minimum, you could wind up with a scorched outlet. At the worst, you could end up losing a lot more. 

When it comes to the “outlet challenge” on social media, please hit the ignore button.