Social media platforms continue to host viral challenges that have led to hospitalizations and deaths among children and teenagers.
Health officials and families report cases tied to trends encouraging ingestion of household substances or self-asphyxiation.
Benadryl Challenge Resurfaces with Fatal Consequences
The Benadryl Challenge, which emerged prominently on TikTok around 2020, encourages participants to ingest large doses of diphenhydramine — the active ingredient in Benadryl — to induce hallucinations. Recommended doses for children over 12 are up to 12 tablets in 24 hours; challenge videos have shown teens taking far more.
A 2025 study presented in Denver documented a significant rise in diphenhydramine-related adverse events among youth following the trend’s popularity. Researchers recorded 413 reports, with 256 resulting in hospitalization and 213 resulting in death. Deaths increased from 82 between 2013 and 2019 to 131 from 2020 to 2024, peaking in years when the challenge circulated widely. Most fatalities involved youth aged 14-18.
In 2023, 13-year-old Jacob Stevens of Ohio died after participating. His family reported he took over a dozen tablets while friends filmed. He was placed on a ventilator and died days later.
Recent cases include three children in Connecticut who died from diphenhydramine overdoses. In June 2026, a 15-year-old in Oklahoma was reported to be brain-dead after a Benadryl challenge overdose, with poison control calls for teen diphenhydramine exposures doubling in early 2026.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2020: “Taking higher than the recommended doses of the common over-the-counter allergy medicine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or even death.” Johnson & Johnson, Benadryl’s manufacturer, also urged platforms to remove related content.
Blackout Challenge Linked to Multiple Child Deaths
The Blackout Challenge involves restricting oxygen (often by choking or holding one’s breath) until loss of consciousness, then recording the effects. It has circulated on TikTok and other platforms for years.
Reports link it to at least 15-20 child deaths historically, with additional cases reported in 2025-2026. In the UK, parents of four teenagers — Isaac Kenevan (13), Archie Battersbee (12), Julian “Jools” Sweeney (14), and Maia Walsh (13) — filed a 2025 wrongful death lawsuit against TikTok. They claim the children died in 2022 after attempting the challenge promoted on the platform. A 12-year-old UK boy died in 2025 attempting it.
U.S. cases include a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl, Nylah Anderson, whose family sued TikTok. A federal appeals court allowed parts of the suit to proceed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously tracked related “choking game” deaths, attributing 82 cases from 1995-2008. (There have been no subsequent CDC national studies or updates tracking these deaths in the same way.) Social media has amplified exposure to younger users.
Currently Trending Harmful Challenges
As of mid-2026, the Benadryl Challenge has seen a documented resurgence, with multiple emergency room visits and fatalities reported in recent weeks, including the Oklahoma case and Connecticut deaths. Poison control centers note more than double the number of calls for teen exposures in 2026 compared to prior periods.
The Blackout Challenge also persists with ongoing lawsuits and isolated deaths reported into 2025 and early 2026.
Chroming (also called dusting or huffing), which involves inhaling toxic fumes from aerosol cans, spray paint, deodorant, or household cleaners for a short high, has circulated on TikTok under hashtags like #WhipTok. It has caused deaths and brain damage in children and teens, with reports of multiple fatalities worldwide in recent years, including cases linked to the trend in 2025-2026.
Other Trends: One Chip, NyQuil Chicken, and Tide Pods
The One Chip Challenge involved eating a single tortilla chip coated with extreme levels of Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. In September 2023, 14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester, Massachusetts, died hours after participating in school. An autopsy determined the cause as cardiopulmonary arrest linked to high capsaicin ingestion; he also had a congenital heart defect. His family filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer and retailers. Paqui recalled the product.
The NyQuil Chicken Challenge, or “sleepy chicken,” directs users to cook chicken in cough syrup containing acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine. The FDA warned in 2022 that boiling the medication concentrates’ ingredients risks overdose, liver damage, respiratory depression, and undercooked poultry contamination. Inhaling vapors during cooking poses additional risks to the lungs.
Tide Pod Challenge videos from 2018 showed teens biting laundry detergent pods. Poison control centers reported thousands of exposures, with heightened teen cases during the trend. Detergent pods can cause severe vomiting, breathing difficulties, seizures, and death. Prior to the viral challenge, pediatric exposures were already common, but intentional ingestions by teens rose.
Broader Impact and Ongoing Concerns
Analyses, including a 2025 Omega Law Group review, document over 100 deaths and tens of thousands of emergency visits tied to various social media challenges. Trends like the Milk Crate Challenge have caused falls and traumatic brain injuries, while others involve microwaving unsafe items.
Health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and poison control centers, continue issuing alerts. Parents report monitoring for empty medication bottles, secretive phone use, and unexplained symptoms.
