A 13-year-old boy from Greenfield, Ohio, has died after attempting the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ – a viral stunt on TikTok where users take an excessive amount of the antihistamine drug in an attempt to induce hallucinations. Doctors declared Jacob Stevens brain-dead after he spent a week on a ventilator due to his attempt at the challenge.
Jacob and his friends were filming the challenge at home when he started experiencing seizures. Jacob was taken to the hospital and put on a ventilator. Doctors later took him off the ventilator when they couldn’t detect brain activity. Jacob passed away on April 12, leaving behind grieving parents who remember him as a “well-mannered, funny, loving kid.”
The ‘Benadryl Challenge’ first went viral on TikTok in 2020, despite the dangerous implications of overdosing on the drug. Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical company that produces Benadryl, condemned the trend as a “dangerous behavior” and urged people to stop immediately in their latest statement. They have also promised to work with social media platforms, including TikTok, to remove content promoting the challenge.
The National Institutes of Health warns that taking more than the recommended diphenhydramine dosage can be harmful. Adverse effects of diphenhydramine include respiratory failure, irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, seizures, and even death.
Despite these risks, young people continue to participate in the dangerous trend, risking their lives for social media fame. Jacob’s tragic death is a grim reminder of the dangers of viral challenges and the importance of promoting safe online behavior.
