Have you ever looked at a Tide Pod and thought, “Wow, this looks delicious?” 

Believe it or not, some people actually think so, hence the dangerous trend. The challenge is where someone takes a pod filled with laundry detergent and bites into it to see if it will break open. While some of the more daring people chew the pod numerous times, the whole point of the challenge is to see the effects of biting or eating the pod.   

“I saw the Tide Pod Challenge on YouTube and immediately thought that these people were crazy,” Cameron Porto, senior, said. 

Some of the effects of the challenge include coughing and foaming at the mouth. Also, if the detergent is swallowed, it can cause many problems to the digestive system, like excessive vomiting and an upset stomach. This dangerous challenge has ended in death for people, so why would anyone attempt this? 

“I had no idea that people were dying from the challenge; that is kind of scary,” Sarah Deprospero, freshman, said. 

According to data from the American Association of Poison Control, 37 teens have had encounters with detergent in 2017 alone. Of those, half  intentionally exposed themselves to it.  

“I kept seeing memes and videos about Tide Pods, and I thought it was funny, but I would never purposely eat them,” Devin Varnadoe, freshman, said. 

While most teens know the dangers of eating detergents, some of them will risk it for their five minutes of fame. The YouTube videos are getting millions of views, which means that millions of people are watching.  As a young teen, they do not think of the consequences that come with the Tide Pod Challenge; they only think of potential popularity. 

“When I saw how many views people were getting from the challenge, it made me want to do it,” Zack Ware, junior, said. 

This challenge has become such a big uproar, that Walmart, Walgreens, Ralph’s, and Food 4 Life stores have locked up the pods behind plastic boxes and glass doors. YouTube is also taking action by banning any videos that have anything to do with the challenge. 

Procter & Gamble, the company that produces Tide, has appealed to social media sites to remove videos or pictures about its pods. The challenge that has taken over social media has also changed the face of detergents, but not in a good way. Perhaps the real challenge should be having teens pop a pod into the washer and do their own laundry.