Josh Wu’s social status hangs by a thread. He has given his friends a tentative ‘maybe’ about taking part in their tide pod challenge, scheduled for a school-wide facebook live feed on Thursday evening, 8pm.

His friends Jaxon Fairbairn (14), Cliffe Culreigh (14) and Harris Darby (13) eagerly await the challenge and the ensuing facebook stardom the challenge will elevate them to.

“This is the best way to get a girlfriend, hands down”, says self-professed leader of the group, Jaxon. “Every girl from school will be watching”.

Josh however, remains hesitant. It is not that he is afraid to join in the challenge. He once jumped through CityRail turnstiles without a ticket, so he’s not averse to a life of crime. The bigger fear Josh is trying to grapple with is the fear of telling his friends his family doesn’t use a dishwasher.

“I already weirded them out once by bringing chicken feet for lunch. I can’t make the same mistake again”

As the clock ticks nearer to Thursday evening, Josh is fast running out of options.

“Maybe I can do the ice bucket challenge again? Raise some money for charity?”

Sadly, the options are looking bleak.