You’ve probably seen the pictures online: Teens posing for a photo in front of filthy beaches and parks and then taking a second photo in the same place after they’ve cleaned it all up.
It’s known as the #trashtag challenge, and it’s making its way across the U.S. and all around the world, The Washington Post reports.
Unlike other social media challenges (and hoaxes) that leave parents nervous and worrying about their teens’ safety, this one seems to restore everyone’s faith in humanity.
Because really, the #trashtag challenge is any parent’s dream.
What could be better than teens being motivated to clean up their surroundings and do community service – even if their motivation is maybe slightly selfish (i.e. seeking some social media praise)?
Anyway, like all challenges that teens get into, they’re usually out of style (aka “so cringy”) before long. Can parents keep the trend going with other positive hashtag challenges?
We certainly hope so, and so we offer up these ideas with the hope they’ll catch on with at least a few of the teens in our lives.
1. #DoggoDash
It’s cute to talk about your pets when you’re younger, but by the tween years? Those pets only exist for the occasional appearance on Insta. Not anymore, though – with this challenge, teens livestream themselves taking their dog for a walk. Every day. How long of a streak can they accomplish? And it’s a win-win: physical activity for your teen and your couch potato dog.
2. #PS4NoMore
Imagine: Video game detoxes for kids could be like juice cleanses for mom and dad. Teens can use this hashtag to post about the non-gaming activities they’re finding during their detox and all the unexpected benefits they notice while they’re Fortnite-free.
3. #NotThrowingCheese
You know that trend where parents take videos of themselves throwing a piece of cheese on their baby’s face? It’s like that … except actually not (who does that, right?). See, with this hashtag challenge, teens get to show how much more mature they are than their parental counterparts. They’ll use it to post themselves doing random acts of kindness – maybe helping a senior with groceries, holding open the door open for someone and so on.
4. #InstaBookmark
OMG, reading is so cool. Teens can flex their literary accomplishments on their Instagram stories using this hashtag with a photo of the chapter they just finished.
5. #SMSyourMOM
Just like the “text your mom about microwaving a turkey” game, this hashtag would challenge teens to text their mom and share the cheesy stuff she says. I guess maybe us moms would become the punchline of some jokes, but whatever makes them communicate with us, right?
6. #SayPeas
Teens livestream themselves eating their veggies. (Tag us, teens – we’ll share it to our own pages with #SoProud.)
7. #FlushItGood
Sorry, we can’t resist. We aren’t even sure how this challenge would work, but we know it has to happen. Our teens can clean up parks but they can’t flush the toilet? Come on.
