Sack tapping–a painful game that could cost a testicle

As if parents’ jobs weren’t hard enough.

In addition to raising, feeding, and providing for their offspring, parents have to talk to their kids about some very uncomfortable subjects (like sex!). But now, thanks to another ridiculous YouTube trend, it seems that parents will have to add another awkward discussion to that already packed to-do list.

So have a seat, kids, your parents might need to remind you of something important—don’t punch or slap other kids in the balls. Seriously.

While YouTube videos have showed the humor in such actions, Minnesota pediatric urologist Dr. Scott Wheeler stresses the severity of it. He urges parents, “you need to have this talk with your kids not to do it. It’s lost its humor.”

While at school, 14-year-old David Gibbons of Crosby, Minnesota was punched in the groin. At 1AM that night, Gibbons’ mother had to take him to the hospital, where he had his right testicle surgically removed. According to the New York Daily News, Dr. Wheeler performs such operations on boys who suffer from ruptured testicles three or four times a year.

The game of “sack tapping,” which involves a boy slapping or flicking the scrotum of another boy, has transformed from a silly joke to a serious problem. Dr. Wheeler tells ABC “he’s seen an increasing number of young boys coming in with serious damage to the testicles because of a ‘tap’ that hit too hard.”

Because of the sack tapping incident, Gibbon’s parents have since removed him from his high school. The administration is currently investigating the incident.

As you can see, sack tapping—coined by ABC News as “a schoolyard game turned ugly”—can cause more than a little sting. So remind your kids that the short lived laugh isn’t worth anyone’s testicle (which will hopefully be obvious to them). And perhaps, encourage them to stick to baseballs and basketballs, rather than–well, you know…

For more on the story, watch below.