Following calls from Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, the Minister for Education has agreed to take action to ensure that teaching staff in Wales are aware of the NekNominate craze and are able to talk to pupils about it appropriately and warn them of its dangers.
NekNominate is an internet drinking game which began in earlier this year. It has swept through the internet, and been responsible for the loss of several lives. The game involves completing a drinking challenge then nominating another person to complete a drinking dare and make a further nomination, and so the cycle continues. Videos of the dares are then posted on the internet.
Mrs Evans said: “Drinking games are no new thing. They have always been hazardous, but NekNominate is leading to increasingly extreme and elaborate drinking challenges.
“The game relies on peer-pressure and one-upmanship – a lethal combination which has already taken the lives of five young people.”
Following reports that children as young as 10 are playing the game, Mrs Evans wrote to the Welsh Education Minister, Huw Lewis, asking that he writes to schools to make staff aware of NekNominate and ensure that they are able to warn children and young people of its dangers.
The Minister responded: “I am fully supportive of raising the awareness, and in order to ensure a coherent message is given I have asked my officials, in consultation with colleagues in Health and Social Services Department and other organisations such as Alcohol Concern Cymru, to consider appropriate age specific advice/materials that may be available to support teachers in raising awareness.
“Once this has been established, I will ensure information is released via our education
communication channels, such as Dysg newsletter and the Learning Wales website.”
Mrs Evans said: “I am pleased that the Minister has listened to my concerns and has responded positively.”
