TikTok challenge claims teenager's life

A 15-years old girl died after taking excessive amount of anti-allergy medicines as part of a challenge on social media app TikTok in Oklahoma, US.

According to the details, Chloe Phillips, 15, died after consuming large quantities of anti-allergy drugs in what was trending as ‘Benadryl Challenge’ on August 21.

She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where she was pronounced dead. Her aunt, Janette Sissy Leasure, took to social media to read her obituary and warn parents of the activities the children can engage in which may pose threats to their lives.

“This needs to stop taking our kids or putting them in the hospital,” Ms Leasure wrote. “Don’t let it take any more kids.”

“I don’t want to see any families go through what we are going through right now. Don’t ever say this can’t happen to you.

The so-called ‘Benadryl Challenge’ dares participants to consume excessive amounts of the allergy medication to experience a high. This drug consumption can cause hallucinations, however, doing so can kill you by overdosing on it, Mirror reported.

Keeping in mind the incident and kids affinity towards trends and daring challenges, Ms Leasure rightly pointed out, “Kids are like, ‘the other person was okay, so I’ll be okay’. She warned parents to try to “always know what your kids are doing or taking”.

Director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information Scott Schaeffer warned teens about the risks of the challenge in the wake of Chloe’s death, saying it could “cause something potentially life-threatening.”

The warning Chole’s aunt issued in a Facebook post is now deleted. The post, according to the local media, contained not only warning to other parents to prevent meeting similar tragedy, but also an obituary on her late niece.

Ms Leasure described her niece as “a happy and smart young lady” who had “all kinds of plans for her future”.

“Chloe loved music, dancing, video games, and being a social butterfly with her friends,” the obituary read.

Her obituary added that Chloe was an extremely intelligent young woman and dreamed of one day going to college and becoming a lawyer. “Chloe’s faith kept her steadfast; she always stood up for what she believed in, and she showed kindness and compassion in everything she did.”

When contacted, the TikTok authorities said that they already removed the content relating to that challenge from their app.