Deadly Online Challenge
15-year-old dies after viral 'Benadryl challenge,' prompting father's urgent safety warning
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A 15-year-old girl died after attempting the viral "Benadryl challenge," her father Richard Presson confirmed on June 26, according to KOLD News 13. The trend, which spread across social media, encourages teens to swallow large amounts of Benadryl to get high — a practice doctors warn can cause seizures, heart failure, coma, and death.
Presson went public with his daughter's death to warn other parents. "Educate yourselves on online trends and the dangers they carry," he urged, according to WIBW. The Food and Drug Administration has previously warned that high doses of Benadryl — the common allergy medication — can trigger serious and potentially fatal heart problems.
What the Benadryl Challenge Actually Involves
Benadryl's active ingredient is diphenhydramine, an antihistamine found in most drugstores. At normal doses, it treats allergies and helps people sleep. But the challenge pushes teens to take far more than the recommended amount. The goal is to trigger hallucinations — a dangerous side effect of a massive overdose.
Even a moderate overdose can overwhelm the heart. Fox 10 reported that the risks include rapid or irregular heartbeat, seizures, and loss of consciousness. At high enough doses, the drug can kill. Because Benadryl is cheap, legal, and sold everywhere, it is easy for teenagers to get without raising suspicion.
FDA Had Already Sounded the Alarm
This is not the first death tied to the challenge. The FDA issued a formal warning about the Benadryl challenge in 2020, after several hospitalizations and at least one reported death. The agency said there is "no antidote" for a severe diphenhydramine overdose and called the trend "extremely concerning," according to WBBJTV.
Despite those warnings, the challenge kept resurfacing online. The FDA urged parents, caregivers, and teens to know the risks before the drug is ever misused. It also called on retailers to be aware of unusual purchasing patterns, such as teenagers buying large quantities of the medication.
TikTok Says It Removes the Content, but Videos Persist
TikTok told reporters that videos promoting dangerous behavior violate its Community Guidelines and are removed from the platform, according to WILX. But experts and parents say the content keeps coming back under new hashtags and slightly altered formats, making it hard to fully stamp out.
WNDU reported that social media challenges like this one spread faster than platforms can respond. By the time a video is flagged and taken down, it may have already been seen — and copied — by thousands of teenagers. Presson's public statement is an effort to fill that gap with a direct warning from a grieving parent.
Father's Plea: Talk to Your Kids Before It's Too Late
Richard Presson chose to speak out even in the immediate aftermath of losing his daughter. His message was aimed squarely at other parents. He wants families to have direct conversations about what their children are watching and doing online, according to Atlanta News First.
Doctors and health officials echo that advice. They recommend parents check medicine cabinets, monitor social media use, and explain — in plain terms — why misusing over-the-counter drugs is just as dangerous as taking illegal ones. "It can happen to anyone," MySuncoast reported one health expert warning. "This medication is in almost every home in America."
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