Father explains his motivation for sharing the hospital photo of his son, who died during the “TikTok Benadryl challenge”
The distraught father of a teenager who died from a Benadryl overdose has spoken out about the risky trend that contributed to his son’s passing. Six days after undertaking the fatal “Benadryl TikTok challenge,” which entails adolescent users of the platform ingesting enough of the OTC drug to cause hallucinations, Jacob Stevens passed away.
Following the tragedy, Justin Stevens, the teen’s father, posted a devastating photo of his young son lying in the hospital bed, where he remained a week hooked up to a ventilator before being declared dead on April 12.
Justin Stevens Statement
To spare other families the suffering he is going through, Justin Stevens raises awareness of the risky trend. “Kids always think, It’s not going to happen to me,” In a phone interview with The Independent on Tuesday, Justin Stevens stated.
“In my perspective, reality really sinks in when you see the visual rather than simply hearing about it. Just observe the tiny boy sleeping in that position. This is not his image that we would want to display because it is unpleasing”.
The 13-year-old is described as a “well-mannered, funny, loving kid” who liked “listening to music, playing football, and hanging out with his friends” in an obituary prepared by Jacob’s family. The bereaved parents have also committed to supporting TikTok age restrictions. Mike DeWine, the governor of Ohio, was approached by Justin Stevens mother to ask what steps could be taken to consideration for avoiding another tragic event
The deputy governor did get in touch with us, but we haven’t heard from him yet, according to Justin Stevens. Justin Stevens expressed his hope that his son’s story will influence young youths who are considering taking on the challenge. He was a jokester, and he would chuckle. He enjoyed having fun, according to Justin Stevens. “He’s gone now, and we won’t see him again.”
About the TikTok Benadryl challenge
The “Benadryl Challenge” encourages users to consume potentially harmful doses of diphenhydramine, an OTC chemical that is frequently included in products like Benadryl along with other OTC drugs. To cause hallucinations, the challenge, aimed primarily at teens, instructs them to swallow 12–14 tablets at once.
The “Benadryl challenge” first appeared on social media in 2020. At that time, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) published a warning regarding the risks of taking more Benadryl than is advised.
At the time, the organisation highlighted reports of teens visiting hospitals as a result of doing the challenge. Participating in the risky trend, according to the FDA, might result in “serious heart problems, a state of coma, seizures, or even death”. To help with funeral expenses, Jacob’s family started a GoFundMe campaign, raising more money than its $4,000 objective.
Steps of Administration
The FDA previously reported that it has spoken with TikTok about the risky films and requested that they “be vigilant and delete any more videos that might have been posted.”
The organization added that medical practitioners should “Be Aware” of the issue and “Alert Carers” about the pattern at the time. Additionally, the need to keep prescriptions free of charge and allergy drugs “up and away” was stressed.
After Cook Children’s Medical Centre in the Texas city of Fort Worth reported treating three teenagers hospitalized after ingesting “excessive amounts” of the drug, the death resulting from the TikTok dare followed.
The “bena challenge “or “benary challenge” results in dangerous since then, searches for “Benadryl” are not permitted on the TikTok App’s trending videos, and other ideas are suggested while trying to look for the name for the allergy drug, though.
