A 13-year-old boy from Columbus, Ohio, Jacob Stevens, tragically lost his life while doing the “Benadryl Challenge,” a dangerous TikTok trend. This social media challenge encourages participants to consume excessive amounts of the antihistamine Benadryl to induce hallucinations.

Jacob consumed 12-14 Benadryl pills while being filmed by his friends, and suffered severe convulsions. Despite being hospitalized and receiving medical care, he passed away six days later. His father, Justin Stevens, is now urging parents to be aware of social media dangers and advocating for age restrictions on medications like Benadryl. Jacob was remembered by his father as a well-mannered, humorous, and loving child.

The “Benadryl Challenge” originated on TikTok, a popular social media platform with over a billion users worldwide, of whom 32.5% are teenagers. In August 2020, following the death of a 15-year-old girl due to excessive consumption of diphenhydramine, the main ingredient in Benadryl, Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer, issued a warning about the challenge. Since May 2020, multiple cases of diphenhydramine poisoning have been linked to this “challenge,” prompting the US Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning in September 2020.

While diphenhydramine abuse and toxicity are not new, with over 21,500 pediatric exposures reported in the US in 2018, resulting in 23 deaths, the intent behind these overdoses has shifted due to the TikTok challenge. Since 2011, there has been a significant increase in self-harm using antihistamines among patients aged 10-25 in the United States.

Internet challenges like the “Benadryl Challenge” pose a considerable threat to young people’s well-being, and it is crucial for parents and healthcare providers to remain vigilant in safeguarding them from such dangers.