(Newswire.net — January 23, 2018) –The Tide pod challenge has recently been making the rounds.
The ‘challenge’ includes taking a Tide pod laundry detergent capsule and biting down on it.
In the previous years we have seen other challenges go viral, some of them more dangerous than others.
There was the ‘Ice bucket challenge’ actually intended to raise awareness for ALS, which is also known as Lou Gherig’s disease. Even though it was intended for a good cause many people were doing it just for fun, focusing more on the stunt and neglecting the awareness and donation aspect of the campaign. Even when done with the best of intentions it could still cause adverse health effects such as a loss of consciousness due to a drop in blood pressure.
Another notable trend was the ‘cinnamon challenge’ where participants would try to swallow spoonfuls of cinnamon while resisting the urge to cough. This could, of course, lead to a whole host of pulmonary issues.
Teenagers doing harmful and stupid things is nothing new.
Then what’s different about the Tide pod challenge?
There is nothing challenging, neither does it raise awareness for an issue that could pass for social activism. The human body has a natural urge to get rid of poison once it has been ingested, so there is no point in consuming it in the first place.
Tide teamed up with NFL star Rob Gronkowski in a social media campaign to discourage teens from eating Tide pods.
Statistics show that US poison control centers have received reports of more than 10,500 children under the age of 5 who were exposed to the capsules during last year. But these numbers are for small children who are attracted to bright colors and will generally put household items in their mouth, not teenagers who should know better.
The viral trend does not seem to be losing traction. This is due to several reasons.
Donut shops and other establishments have begun selling products that are edible and look similar to a Tide pod. Their claim is, that if you have to eat something that looks like a Tide pod the food they provide is a safe alternative. Some consider this to be detrimental to the issue and claim it is instead giving wind to the dangerous trend.
YouTube has been vigilant and they have been removing videos claiming the files that have been taken down contained harmful or dangerous content. People still find a way to upload content featuring the challenge to other networks.
If you or anyone you know has been victim of poisoning we would urge you to contact the American Association of Poison Control Centers at 1-800-222-1222, or by texting ‘POISON’ to 797979. You can also find more information on PoisonHelp.org