The internet-famous ice bucket challenge is once again making the rounds on social media — but this time, the viral fad isn’t benefiting ALS research.
Millennials almost certainly remember the ‘ice bucket challenge,’ a charitable craze that took over the internet around 2014.
To participate in the ice bucket challenge, you had to be called out by another person, dump a bucket of ice water on your head, and donate money to charity — specifically, the ALS Foundation.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly abbreviated as ALS, is a disease of the nervous system that primarily affects the brain spinal cord. People with ALS gradually lose control of their muscles over time, to the point where they cannot move at all on their own.
Of course, the point of the ice bucket challenge was to film yourself getting covered in freezing water and upload the video online to spread the word about ALS, but the fad also resulted in a slew of hilarious and iconic moments, even getting mentioned in Fifty Cent’s infamous feud with Floyd Mayweather.
Over a decade later, the ice bucket challenge has experienced a revival of sorts… but its unexpected comeback is rubbing some people the wrong way.
The ice bucket challenge returns in viral USC student revival
On March 31, 2025, students at the University of South Carolina banded together to create the #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge, which is similar in nearly every way besides the cause for which it’s raising money.
Instead, these students are urging participants to donate to youth mental health nonprofit Active Minds, raising nearly $30,000 as of April 23.
The reframing of the iconic ALS ice bucket challenge hasn’t come without controversy, though. While USC student and MIND club founder Wade Jefferson confirmed that the SpeakYourMIND challenge was inspired by the original ALS-centered craze, commenters across the net feel this new twist on the iconic meme is “overshadowing” the OG.
“Seeing this USC ice bucket challenge become so popular when it was literally for ALS to raise awareness because nobody knows what ALS is,” one TikToker said of the trend.
“It’s hard seeing the trend go on without it acknowledging the original trend ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, another said on Instagram. “I spent two years watching my mom go through such immense pain with ALS, and losing her has changed me and my family so drastically. Seeing the new trend and some even using it as a joke on top of it just loses the ‘mental health awareness’ meaning….”
The ALS Foundation themselves also appeared to comment on the new trend, saying in an Instagram post, “The Ice Bucket Challenge started with ALS. We remember who we are – and won’t stop until there’s a cure.”
However, others are defending USC’s take on the ice bucket challenge, explaining that it was inspired after a student at the University took their own life.
“The USC ice bucket challenge is for mental health awareness for a teen who died due to mental health issues at USC, they are two completely different things,” one pointed out.
The founder of Active Minds, the organization behind the new ice bucket challenge, started the nonprofit after the death of her brother by suicide. The org now boasts a number of chapters in college campuses across the United States.
Several high-profile public figures have participated in the SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge, including YouTuber James Charles, TikTok icon Haley Baylee, and football star Peyton Manning.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.