ARHS Principal Mark Jackson would like parents to be aware of the
following information:
What is the Tide Pod Challenge?
- The Tide Pod Challenge is where students attempt to consume a plastic laundry detergent pod
- At first the challenge started as a joke but now poison control centers are warning parents about this dangerous activity
- The risks of this viral dare include: choking on the liquid by inhaling it, vomiting, change in blood pressure/heart rate, having seizures, or losing consciousness
- Ingredients in the detergent can burn the mouth, digestive system, and stomach
- When students partake in the challenge, they upload videos of themselves eating laundry detergent capsules and post them to social media for validation
Tide Pod Challenge in the news
- The so-called ‘Tide Pod challenge,’ which reportedly began as a joke, has become enough of a thing that it has garnered responses from a government watchdog, poison control centers, and Tide’s parent company, Procter & Gamble. Now YouTube is weighing in too. –Fast Company
- Children who have been exposed to the [Tide Pod] capsules have been hospitalized with vomiting, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness. –Washington Post
- Thirty-nine reports of teenagers intentionally misusing laundry pods came in during the first 15 days of 2018 alone. –Time
Why should parents care?
- The Tide Pod Challenge is incredibly dangerous. It’s essentially ingesting poison
- Even if a student doesn’t eat the entire laundry detergent pod, just ingesting a tiny bit can lead to serious health repercussions
- If detergent makes its way into the bloodstream and organs, the effects could be fatal
- With so many teens posting videos of this dangerous challenge, YouTube has issued a statement that it will remove any videos that show students partaking in this challenge
- YouTube is also taking further steps to completely terminate channels that have any videos of people eating laundry detergent capsules
What can parents do?
- If your student has eaten a laundry detergent pod, call 911, or contact the poison control center 1-800-222-1222 or a doctor immediately
- Consider reading Tide’s safety protocol to learn how you can protect your family and home
- Talk to your children about the Tide Pod Challenge and explain the serious health repercussions associated with it
- Monitor your student’s digital footprint to see if they are watching, liking, or creating posts about the Tide Pod Challenge
- Consider contacting your teen’s school. If your child has engaged with anything like the Tide Pod Challenge, other students might be engaging with it too
- Urge your child to report any misbehavior they encounter online and on social media
