The Ice Bucket Challenge is back! How did it originate and why everyone seems to be doing it in 2025
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was one of the most viral trends of 2014. All over the internet, there were videos of celebrities, sports teams, seniors and kids alike dumping bowls of ice water on their heads to raise awareness and money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Now, more than a decade later, Ice Bucket Challenge videos are once again surfacing on social media. However, this time, the trend is supporting mental health issues.
The 2025 rendition of the Ice Bucket Challenge, this time called the #SpeakYourMIND Challenge, was started by students at the University of South Carolina in the Mental Illness Needs Discussion club. The club has partnered with Active Minds, a mental health nonprofit, to restart the viral Ice Bucket Challenge.
The club posted the The #SpeakYourMIND campaign to its social media channels on March 31, gaining 124,000 likes on Instagram alone. The trend has taken off on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and beyond.
The students partnered with Active Mind, a mental health nonprofit, to create a way to fiscally support their cause through donations, as well as amplify the activism efforts.
Brett Curtis, Director of Community fund at Active Minds, said that this trend lies beyond a single person, media or clip.
"This is not a one and done conversation," Curtis said. "We hope it continues well beyond the trend."
The Ice Bucket Challenge originated in 2014 when Pat Quinn, Pete Frates, Anthony Senerchia started the worldwide trend of dumping a container of icy water on yourself. The goal of the challenge was to raise awareness and funds to fight ALS.
The challenge works that same as it did in 2014. All that is new is a new hashtag and cause to support.
People are taking the Ice Bucket Challenge for the same reason as they did a decade ago: To support a good cause.
In 2025, the Ice Bucket Challenge is helping to break the stigma surrounding mental health and to support suicide prevention efforts, according to USC MIND's post. Additionally, Active Minds is accepting monetary donations to support its mission of mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society.
So far, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than $249,000.
Like the original challenge, lots of students and youth are engaging with the social media trend. Curtis also hopes that the challenge will "fuel, equipt and empower" young people to be leaders in the mental health conversation.
The Ice Bucket Challenge is simple to participate in: All you need is a bowl or bucket of ice water and a phone to film yourself. That's it!
If you're nominated to take the Ice Bucket Challenge, set up the camera to film a family member or friend dumping a bucket of ice water on your head. Once you complete the freezing task, you can nominate two to five more people to join the viral trend.
Share your video online with #SpeakYourMIND and tag @uscmind on socials. You can also support the cause fiscally by making a donation online to support Active Minds.
Yes! In addition to creating global awareness for ALS, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised about $115 million to support ALS research and care for those affected by the disease, according to the ALS Association.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Who started the Ice Bucket Challenge 2025? New cause, same, same idea
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