Parents urged to talk to teens after Ohio teen dies after taking part in social media challenge
A 13-year-old from Ohio died after taking part in a TikTok Challenge, and that death has experts in the Dayton area concerned.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell talked with local addiction and mental health experts who are urging parents to step into difficult conversations with their children to protect them.
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It is easy for teens to be susceptible to TikTok and social media challenges because, as one recent study showed, 45 percent of teens check their phones every hour, and when they are online that much, it is easy to find the wrong spots.
“We know that social media is designed to be addicting, social media companies put money into making it as addicting as possible because they want us to come back,” Colleen Oakes said.
Oakes is the manager of the Montgomery County Prevent Coalition, working with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) board.
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She said getting teens addicted to social media is even more dangerous because they do not always look with a critical eye.
“Our kids see so many successful challenges, so it’s hard for them to be aware of dangers,” Oakes said.
Many YouTube videos are now available explaining the dangers of the Benadryl challenge. It’s a highly effective medicine for treating fevers, pain, itching, and swelling, but even adults are never supposed to take more than two pills at a time.
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The challenge encourages teenagers to swallow 12-14 pills in one sitting. That high dose overwhelms the body and becomes toxic.
Jacob Stevens, 13, of Greenfield, went into a come this month while doing the challenge with friends. He was put on a ventilator and died six days later.
“That’s why we encourage some frank conversations, that dinner table conversation, tech-free conversation from parents to kids,” Oakes said.
If those conversations do not happen, more kids will die, Oakes fears. Parents can help by safeguarding all medicines.
“Benadryl or some other over-the-counter drugs, we need to make sure are locked away from youth or if they are prescribed, make sure we are talking about how to safely take it,” Oakes said
Every police agency has a prescription drug disposal site in its lobby. Parents are urged to take out-of-date prescriptions there and keep other prescriptions safely out of the reach of teens and children.
