Does the internet influence young people to engage in risky behavior?

I think so.  Things like "The Cinnamon Challenge" go viral.  Some have caused serious injuries.  I was really moved by a young man who fell and damaged his spinal cord.  He was pleading with his fellow teens to not risk their lives and futures.  😪

I think that it's another tool that people are using to engage in risky behavior. That being said, it's a huge tool because it has the capacity to go viral once the video, or whatever, is "shared". So the audience gets larger much more quickly than ever before.

In addition, with the advent of the Internet now you have an overabundance of people all not using their brains or any type of common sense.

They simply mimic the behavior without a thought to the consequence or the fall-out.