South Cobb's Newest Craze Could Have Dangerous Consequences

Kids find interesting ways to defeat boredom. Teens in particular can make even the simplest things cool.

After seeing multiple Twitter references to “planking” or “planked” from South Cobb area high school students, I decided to take a chance and ask what the term means. (This was after searching in urbandictionary.com, which is a helpful site, parents, when trying to understand what the heck your teens are saying.)

Someone informed me that “its (sic) when u lie on your stomach legs together hands to your side. loosely referencing slaveshippin, and a sexual position.”

Interesting.

This definition helped somewhat, but it was really this video that someone tweeted me that drove the concept home. Take a look. (I wouldn’t advise doing this in a grocery store.)

Planking is lying face down, motionless, on your stomach with your arms straight out at your sides. Then the planker has a photo, which he or she posts online, taken of them in his or her position.

The trick is to plank in as the craziest places one can, and that's where this seemingly harmless trend can lead to dangerous consequences. An 20-year-old Australian man, Acton Beale, recently died while planking when he fell seven stories in mid-May.

Thanks to the Internet, a trend that began in Australia is now right here in our backyard of South Cobb. Just make sure your kids are being safe and know the consequences of planking.