TikTok speaks out against ‘Benadryl Challenge’ after death of Ohio teen

TikTok has released a statement following the death of a 13-year-old in Ohio who reportedly participated in the popular ‘Benadryl Challenge’ on the app.

TikTok is home to a slew of viral challenges and fads — but one of its latest crazes is nothing short of deadly.

The ‘Benadryl Challenge’ has found its way onto the app, which requires users to ingest over six times the recommended dose of the drugstore antihistamine.

Although Benadryl is popular as both an allergy medication and a sleep aid, the challenge has reportedly resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy in Ohio.

According to local news reports, the boy attempted the challenge while being filmed by some of his friends before he began to seize. He was then hospitalized and ultimately lost his life six days later.

The boy’s father issued a warning to parents in a statement to his local news station. “Keep an eye at what they’re doing on that phone,” he urged. Talk to them about the situation. I want everyone to know about my son.”

TikTok addresses “dangerous” Benadryl Challenge after death of Ohio teen

Now, TikTok has released a statement regarding the ‘Benadryl Challenge,’ stating they have blocked searches for the “dangerous” trend on their website.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family,” a TikTok spokesperson said to Dexerto. “At TikTok, we strictly prohibit and remove content that promotes dangerous behavior with the safety of our community as a priority. We have never seen this type of content trend on our platform and have blocked searches for years to help discourage copycat behavior.”

“Our team of 40,000 safety professionals works to remove violations of our Community Guidelines and we encourage our community to report any content or accounts they’re concerned about.”

That’s not all; Johnson & Johnson, the creators of Benadryl, have also addressed the tragic situation, similarly dubbing the challenge as “dangerous.”

“The challenge, which involves ingestion of excessive quantities of diphenhydramine, is a dangerous trend and should be stopped immediately,” they said in a statement published online. “BENADRYL® products and other diphenhydramine products should only be used as directed by the label.”

This is just the latest tragic challenge to be removed by TikTok following the ‘blackout challenge’ that resulted in the deaths of several young people over the last two years.