Sadly, dangerous ‘challenges’ spread over social media apps like Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram have become the new normal.
Teenagers were dared to consume Tide Pods as part of the Tide Pod challenge. The Benadryl challenge also urged participants to consume excessive amounts of antihistamine in order to produce hallucinations. The most recent challenge involves cooking chicken while taking NyQuil, which is exactly what it sounds like. Parents are being cautioned by the FDA about its risks.
In a public response to this potentially dangerous social media challenge, the US Food and Drug Administration released the following statement:
One social media trend relying on peer pressure is online video clips of people misusing nonprescription medications and encouraging viewers to do so too. These video challenges, which often target youths, can harm people — and even cause death.
Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways.” This challenge can be dangerous even if a teen does not eat the chicken, so it is best just to not participate. “Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs.”
Watch the full news report below to learn more.