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TikTok challenge draws local concern

By Brian Hagen

04/20/2023

(KAIR)--The Leavenworth County Attorney's Office has issued a safety alert following the death of a 13-year-old Ohio boy who, according to news reports, died after participating in, what a release calls, “the dangerous “Benadryl Challenge” trend on TikTok.”

The release, issued by the Leavenworth County Attorney's Office, cites media reports about Jacob Stevens, the Greenfield, Ohio teen who died on April 12 after spending nearly a week on a ventilator after attempting the challenge. Stevens’ father told an Ohio TV station that Jacob was at home with friends, who were filming him for the challenge, when he overdosed and started seizing.

According to the release, the health and wellness website, Healthline, says the “Benadryl Challenge” encourages TikTok audiences to take high doses of the over-the-counter allergy medication to induce hallucinations.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, in the release, said that when you “combine youth, social media pressure, and drugs...you can have a recipe for disaster,” and calls on parents to remain aware of their child's social media use while engaging in related conversations.

The Federal Drug Administration issued a warning about the trend in September of 2020.

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