Doctors Warn: New Social Media Challenge Sends Teens to Emergency Rooms

Dangerous social media challengeshave taken over platforms where 72% of American adults spent time in 2021. Some viral trends like the ALS ice bucket challenge or mannequin challenge can be harmless entertainment. However, a disturbing pattern has emerged where these challenges put young people's lives at risk and send teenagers to emergency rooms nationwide.

These harmful social media trends have led to numerous hospitalizations with deadly outcomes. Several challenges have turned fatal, and the "blackout challenge" has claimed at least 15 young lives under age 12 as of November 2022. The situation becomes more alarming when teens attempt challenges that involve consuming non-food items or dangerous amounts of substances like Benadryl. Medical experts warn that the Benadryl doses teens use to hallucinate sit dangerously close to lethal levels. This growing crisis demands our attention to understand why these deadly challenges spread rapidly and how we can shield our children from harm.

Doctors Report Spike in ER Visits from Social Media Challenges

Doctors in emergency rooms nationwide see a troubling spike in hospitalizations tied to viral social media challenges. A recent safety analysis reveals these dangerous social media trends have led to over 100 deaths. Tens of thousands of emergency room visits involve children as young as 10 who try these deadly activities.

The "Benadryl Challenge" pushes teens to take large doses of diphenhydramine to hallucinate. This has caused several deaths and hospitalizations since 2020. A tragic case happened in April 2023 when a 13-year-old Ohio boy died after taking 12-14 pills - about six times the safe dose. People who take too much of this common allergy medicine risk serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or death.

The "Tide Pod Challenge" sent about 35,000 people to ERs between 2016-2020. These laundry detergent packets cause serious harm if swallowed:

• Nausea and vomiting

• Oropharyngeal burns

• Respiratory distress requiring intubation

• Seizures

ER doctors now treat severe burns from the "jam jar jet engine challenge." Teens try to build homemade propulsion devices that often backfire. Dr. Alexandra Farish at Muma Children's Hospital says these injuries can lead to "months, two years to a lifetime of dealing with consequences".

The financial toll hits families hard. Parents face medical bills between $80,000 and $100,000 for injuries their children get from online challenges. Insurance companies often refuse to pay because they consider these incidents preventable.

What Are the Most Dangerous Social Media Challenges Today?

Medical professionals have found several deadly social media trends that put teenagers' lives at risk. The "Blackout Challenge" pushes teens to choke themselves until they pass out, and it has already killed at least 15 children. A person can suffer brain damage in just four minutes, and death can occur within five minutes without oxygen.

The "Salt Challenge" poses similar risks when teens consume large amounts of table salt. This dangerous act triggers immediate nausea and vomiting, and it can make the brain swell and cause seizures. Just one tablespoon can harm children and teens severely.

The "Outlet Challenge" involves teens partially plugging a phone charger into an electrical outlet and dropping a penny onto its prongs. The resulting sparks can cause serious burns, damage their eyes, or even kill them through electrocution.

Teens shooting gel pellets at random people, known as the "Orbeez Challenge," has left many victims needing eye surgery. Young people showed higher rates of eye complications compared to other age groups.

Health agencies are also monitoring a second wave of “medicine misuse” issues that go beyond Benadryl and Tide Pods. In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a formal warning about viral videos where people cook chicken in NyQuil and other over-the-counter cold medicines, then eat or inhale the concentrated vapors. Heating these drugs can increase their potency and change how they enter the body so that a single stunt can cause a dangerous, unintentional overdose. Poison centers have also reported clusters of calls related to the “Cinnamon Challenge,” a dare in which individuals attempt to swallow a spoonful of dry cinnamon without water. Far from harmless, this caustic powder can cause violent coughing, aspiration, asthma attacks, and even respiratory failure in teens who inhale it into their lungs. Even fitness trends can hide medical emergencies. A popular stunt called “dry scooping” encourages teens and young adults to swallow pre-workout powder directly from the scoop without mixing it with water. Studies of TikTok videos reveal that many clips promote unsafe use practices, such as dry scooping, to millions of viewers. Cardiologists have reported cases of otherwise healthy young people experiencing heart attacks shortly after copying this trend. When highly caffeinated, stimulant-packed powders are taken as a concentrated dose, they can lead to arrhythmias, chest pain, or cardiac arrest instead of providing “better workouts.” For teens who already underestimate the dangers of supplements and energy products, this kind of content subtly blurs the line between performance culture and life-threatening risk.

The list of deadly trends goes on. The "Cinnamon Challenge" led to 222 cases of abuse or misuse among teens in 2012. The "Nutmeg Challenge" can be fatal - just three tablespoons can cause severe agitation and hallucinations. These life-threatening challenges keep emerging despite clear medical warnings about their dangers.

Why Are Teens Drawn to These Harmful Social Media Trends?

Teenage brains are naturally wired to follow their peers, and digital platforms have made this tendency nowhere near as safe as before. Young people's prefrontal cortex, which controls rational thinking, isn't fully developed until their mid-20s. This makes teenagers act on impulse before they think over what it all means. They often don't realize that misusing common medications like Benadryl can trigger serious heart issues, seizures, or even put them in a coma.

Studies reveal that 35% of teens use at least one social media platform multiple times throughout the day. The instant gratification of likes and comments on social media pushes teenagers to copy whatever behavior seems popular, even if it's risky. Brain scans show increased activity when teens look at posts with lots of likes, suggesting they pay more attention to popular content.

Youth participate in these harmful social media trends for four main reasons:

• Peer pressure drives them to seek acceptance (38% of cinnamon challenge participants admitted they wanted their friends' approval)

• They chase attention, which leads them to try more dangerous versions of challenges

• They find it entertaining and want to see what happens

• Behaviors spread faster from one person to another through social contagion

Research shows that half the teens who tried these risky challenges would have thought twice if they had known about the physical risks.

Conclusion

Dangerous social media challenges have become a serious health crisis that threatens our youth. Parents, educators, and healthcare providers need to recognize this escalating threat. These viral trends have already caused young lives to be lost, and thousands of teens are hospitalized with severe burns and life-threatening organ damage.

Medical research shows how challenges with household chemicals, excessive medication, or dangerous stunts can destroy lives. The "Blackout Challenge" or "Benadryl Challenge" might look harmless, but they're just minutes or a few pills away from causing permanent disability or death.

This situation becomes even more dangerous because teen brains are still developing. Their unfinished prefrontal cortex makes them vulnerable. When you add peer pressure and social media's dopamine-driven reward system, teens face a perfect storm that leads to risky choices. Many teens later admitted that they would have stayed away from these challenges if they had known the real physical dangers.

Quick action is crucial from all sides. Parents should continue discussing social media while monitoring their children's online activities. Schools can begin teaching digital literacy and ways to resist peer pressure. Social media companies must take responsibility to detect and remove harmful content before it spreads.

This issue requires our immediate attention. Every child's life is too valuable to risk for a fleeting moment of social media fame. We can help our teens navigate the digital world safely and shield them from its most dangerous aspects.

Key Takeaways

Dangerous social media challenges are creating a public health emergency, with over 100 deaths and tens of thousands of ER visits reported among children and teens.

• Deadly challenges like "Blackout" and "Benadryl" are claiming young lives, with brain damage occurring within 4 minutes of oxygen loss

• Teen brains are biologically vulnerable to peer pressure due to an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex until the mid-20s

• Medical costs from challenge injuries range $80,000-$100,000, often denied by insurance as "avoidable acts"

• Half of the participants would avoid challenges if they understood the real physical dangers involved

• Parents must monitor online activity while schools and platforms remove dangerous content before it spreads

The combination of adolescent brain development, social media algorithms, and peer validation creates a perfect storm for life-threatening decision-making. Immediate action through education, monitoring, and platform accountability is essential to protect our youth from these viral dangers.

FAQs

Q1. What are some of the most dangerous social media challenges affecting teens today?

Some of the most dangerous social media challenges include the Blackout Challenge, Benadryl Challenge, Salt Challenge, and Outlet Challenge. These challenges can lead to severe health risks, including brain damage, seizures, and even death.

Q2. Why are teenagers particularly susceptible to participating in risky social media challenges?

Teenagers are more susceptible due to their still-developing prefrontal cortex, which affects decision-making. They're also more influenced by peer pressure and the desire for social validation, which social media platforms intensify through likes and comments.

Q3. What are the potential health consequences of participating in these challenges?

Participating in these challenges can result in severe health consequences such as heart problems, seizures, brain damage, respiratory failure, and even death. Some challenges have led to hospitalizations and fatalities among young people.

Q4. How can parents protect their children from dangerous social media trends?

Parents can protect their children by maintaining open conversations about social media use, monitoring their online activities, and educating them about the real dangers of these challenges. It's also important to foster digital literacy and teach resistance to peer pressure.

Q5. What role do social media companies play in addressing these dangerous challenges?

Social media companies have a responsibility to detect and remove dangerous content before it spreads. They should implement stricter content moderation policies and work on developing better algorithms to identify and prevent the circulation of harmful challenges.