If your feed has turned into a splash zone lately, you’re not alone. A new viral trend, called the Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge, has taken over everywhere, with college students, influencers, and even celebrities dumping freezing water over their heads and nominating friends to do the same.
It looks familiar for a reason: it’s a revival of the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but with a different mission. This time, the goal is to raise awareness for mental health and support suicide prevention through the nonprofit Active Minds.
As someone who deeply cares about mental health and is actually part of the UCLA chapter of Active Minds, I want so badly to be on board with this. I believe in spreading awareness. I believe in making noise about the things people are still afraid to say out loud. And most of all, I believe that mental health advocacy can save lives.
But the more I watch this trend take off, the more I find myself asking: Is this really the best way to do it?
Let’s rewind: the original Ice Bucket Challenge had a purpose (and a name)
Back in 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge became one of the most successful viral awareness campaigns of all time. People across the world took videos of themselves dumping ice water over their heads to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
But this wasn’t just a fun stunt… it was symbolic. The ice water was meant to simulate, for a moment, the physical discomfort and lack of control that people with ALS live with every day. And it worked: the challenge raised over $115 million for ALS research and contributed to major breakthroughs in treatment.
The key was that ALS was in the name. You couldn’t participate without acknowledging the cause.
The new challenge
The Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge was launched on March 31, 2025, by students at the University of South Carolina, through a campus organization called MIND (Mental Illness Needs Discussion).
Their goal? To spark conversations about mental health and raise funds for Active Minds, the largest young adult mental health nonprofit in the country. And to their credit, it’s taken off fast, spread by word-of-mouth, student groups, and viral TikToks.
As I write this, the campaign has already raised over $300,000, a truly impressive number. Even the ALS Association has shown support, saying, “We’re thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism.”
But here’s the problem: most people aren’t even talking about mental health
I’ve watched hundreds of these videos. And while a few creators have taken time to actually talk about mental health or mention resources, the vast majority haven’t. In fact, many don’t say anything at all.
Instead, comment sections are full of things like:
“Whoever nominates me, count your days.”
“I’m not doing this. It’s too cold.”
“This is ruining my Instagram aesthetic lol.”
If you didn’t already know what the challenge was supposed to be about, you might think it was just a random TikTok trend.
So… why ice? What does it have to do with mental health?
That’s part of the confusion. Unlike the ALS version, where the ice symbolized something tangible, (discomfort, lack of control, physical symptoms,) there’s no clear connection here. Some are saying the shock of the cold simulates the shock of mental health struggles? Was this USC MIND’s intent or is it just a borrowed format, repackaged for a different cause?
Which leads to a deeper question: What happens when a trend overshadows the message?
When we make awareness campaigns trend-driven instead of meaning-driven, it’s easy for the point to get lost. People participate without even mentioning the cause. The original purpose becomes an afterthought, and mental health gets reduced to a background detail in a viral video.
It’s also starting to feel like a popularity contest
Beyond the trend overshadowing the message, there’s another quiet side effect I’ve seen: some people are feeling hurt because they haven’t been nominated. I’ve read comments from people who feel even more alone watching others tag friend after friend, waiting for their name to come up… and it never does.
It might seem small, but when you’re already struggling with your mental health, something like that can hit hard. A challenge that’s supposed to build connection ends up making people feel more isolated, like they’re on the outside looking in. And suddenly, what started as an awareness campaign starts to feel more like a popularity contest.
This is personal to me
I’ve struggled with my mental health. I know how isolating it can feel. I know how scary it is to ask for help. That’s why I joined Active Minds. I wanted to be part of the solution. I wanted to help create a world where people didn’t have to suffer in silence.
And I do believe that awareness campaigns matter. But only if they’re done thoughtfully.
So if you’re participating in the challenge, amazing. But don’t skip the “why.” Talk about it. Be honest. Share a resource. If you can, donate. Make the cold water mean something.
Because when we speak our minds, we should actually say something.
Resources
No matter where you are or what you’re going through, you are not alone, and there are people who want to help.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
Free, confidential support 24/7 for anyone in emotional distress or crisis.
- Crisis Text Line – Text HELLO to 741741
24/7 support via text from trained crisis counselors.
- Active Minds – activeminds.org
A national nonprofit focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention among young adults.
- The Jed Foundation (JED) – jedfoundation.org
Works to protect emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and college students.
- ULifeline – ulifeline.org
A college mental health resource with self-assessments and campus-specific tools.
- To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) – twloha.com
Offers support for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, or suicidal thoughts.
- Steve Fund – stevefund.org
Supports the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.