If you are a teen dealing with depression or other mental health issues, see PBS.org for a list of resources and organizations that can help you. If you are an adult, see Mental Health Resources.
A new ice bucket fundraiser called the USC Speak Your Mind Challenge is spreading mental health awareness on TikTok and Instagram. Much like the original ice bucket challenge that raised funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, the new trend asks people to either donate, submit to the frigid water bath, or ideally, both. Donations go to the mental health nonprofit Active Minds.
The hashtag #uscspeakyourmindbucket currently has over 560 posts, while #icebucketchallenge has over 35,000.
As always, those who complete the challenge get to tag someone else. On TikTok, participants are sending joke death threats to the friends who tagged them, or just crying about it.
How a college mental health club sparked the USC Speak Your Mind Challenge
The new trend started on March 31, 2025, when the University of South Carolina club MIND (Mental Health Needs Discussion) announced the challenge in an Instagram reel. Their goals are simple—to spread awareness and raise money to prevent deaths associated with mental health struggles.
“Our main goals are breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, advocating for suicide prevention on campus, and promoting daily mindfulness,” says club founder Wade Jefferson. “At MIND, we believe conversations about mental health should be just as common and just as comfortable as conversations about physical health.”
To participate, all you need to do is record someone dumping ice water over you and tag two to five people to challenge them to follow suit when you post it. Donations are encouraged, especially if you chicken out.
@mckinlee_blake #usc #icebucketchallenge #uscspeakyourmindicebucket #speakyourmind #fyp #viral? #blowthisup #foryoupage #uscspeakyourmind ♬ original sound – lex⸆⸉
The inspiration for the new ice bucket challenge
All donations go to Active Minds, founded by Alison Malmon in 2003 after her brother died by suicide in 2000. Brian Malmon was a popular kid, but he began to struggle with depression and psychosis in college. Although he received treatment for schizoaffective disorder, he hid his continuing depression instead of having the conversations that could have saved his life.
“Alison recognized that Brian’s story is the story of thousands of young people who suffer in silence; who, despite their large numbers, think they are totally alone,” the nonprofit’s website states. “A majority of mental illnesses start between ages 14 and 24 when teens and young adults are in school, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students.”
@xxbriellainspo i didn’t think she would actually do it!! @??? ♬ original sound – briella 
This is true both in the U.S. and globally, according to a 2021 meta-analysis. Though this problem is only growing, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began, research is sparse.
“Despite increasing rates of suicidal behaviors among college students, few preventative efforts have targeted this population, and fewer focus on factors that might place specific demographic groups at heightened risk,” researchers warned, “The impact of COVID-19 on suicidal behaviors among college students highlights and exacerbates the urgent need for rapid and effective interventions that might differ from traditional approaches.”
TikTok’s reactions: threats, tears, and memes
The USC Speak Your Mind Challenge took off on TikTok to the dread and horror of its users. The big thing right now is posting funny reactions to getting tagged, from weeping in your car to issuing not-so-subtle threats.
In a video that’s hooked over three million views since April 15, user @campbell_h07 warned, “to the person who nominated me for the usc speak your mind challenge… better count your days.”
“When I see my f*cka** friend nominated me for that usc speak your mind ice bucket challenge,” wrote @baylee.perkins over herself sobbing in the passenger seat.
There are some people who are taking it seriously, however. Plenty of TikTokers got behind the message of supporting mental health, especially as the younger generations struggle more with this issue than any others.
User @notsnehaha praised the trend, noting that “the usc speak your mind challenge is proof that we are ALL connected.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @uscmind for comment via Instagram.
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