By Eliana Miller
By now, I’m sure most everyone has seen the newly formed ice bucket challenge going around social media. Well, kind of new. This ice bucket challenge had its grand opening back in 2014 to help raise awareness for ALS, which is a motor neuron disease. Becoming popular, it spread positive vibes. Even celebrities joined the trend. Within the first five days of August during this trend of 2014, the number of videos practically doubled from 1.2 million to 2.4 million. Along with that, nearly 28 million people engaged with these challenge videos according to alsnc.org. As of April 2025, the challenge has resurfaced, but this time to raise awareness for mental health.
Anyone scrolling on social media has seen people freezing in ice cold water as a “new” challenge has come to front. However, this challenge holds a deeper, more meaningful reason than just a fun challenge. Starting in the University of South Carolina with club MIND (Mental Illness Needs Discussion) posting a video of their club president dumping ice water on their head and beginning the “SpeakYourMIND Ice Bucket Challenge,” the video was created to help raise awareness along with raising money to help spread much needed information about mental health.
The challenge rules are simple: dump a bucket of ice water on your head and tag people who you want to see do the same. These people should be people that you can speak your mind to. Once you have tagged your best friends and family members in your video, they have 24 hours to do the same! These videos are supposed to mention how they raise awareness for mental health and also link charities/donation websites. However, the meaning seems to have been lost along the way…
The trend has begun to spark some controversy because some people on social media believe that this “new” challenge is stealing the light from ALS awareness. Some people online believe that the group at the University of South Carolina should have found a different way to spread awareness. Of course, everything on social media will leave some people dissenting.
Overall, if you are dumping an ice bucket on your head for ALS or mental health, just remember why the trend started. Remember it’s more than just a trend but it’s helping to raise awareness for those who are hurting.
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