It鈥檚 not the first strange trend to go viral - and certainly won鈥檛 be the last - but an online challenge provoking teens to eat packets of clothing detergent on camera is turning heads.
Known as the 鈥淭ide pod challenge,鈥� teens of all ages are filming themselves eating the blue and orange infused packages.
While some end laughing and spitting it out, the challenge has turned serious with dozens of people being poisoned by the detergent. According to the U.S. poison control centre, when ingested the liquid inside the pods can cause diarrhea, coughing spells and vomiting. Children who aspirate it into their lungs can suffer from long-term breathing difficulties.
tide pods are the best thing ever to go on pizza馃い
鈥� 饢鈧嗏伓鈧嗮枻� (@MoonEmojii)
Despite there being no known cases of the challenge going wrong in B.C., many youth and teens are aware of the videos.
So why are kids taking part in something completely pointless yet so risky?
According to Eric Meyers, an expert on youth online behaviour, the answer is no different than for kids of generation鈥檚 past: an underdeveloped pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain that moderates social behaviour and decision making.
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Mix that with how quickly gratification can be gained on the internet 鈥� in the form of likes, shares and views 鈥� and it鈥檚 the perfect equation for a challenge that makes little sense but carries serious shock value to spread quickly.
鈥淧art of it is fueled with the notion of internet fame and the idea you can generate enough clicks, generate enough views and that will make you internet famous even for a few moments,鈥� said Meyers, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia.
if only i鈥檒l see you in my dreams tonight, tide pod oreos馃挋馃挍馃А
鈥� yung tofu (@ligeiasx)
Like other challenges 鈥� including the benign , or positive which raised funds for ALS research 鈥� this one involves young people feeling the need to videotape their behaviours as a way of documenting their experience, Meyers said.
鈥淚n our contemporary society, there鈥檚 this thirst for notoriety,鈥� Meyers said, 鈥渁nd in particular online fandom and infinity that is driving some of these behaviours. It鈥檚 not like kids don鈥檛 know this is wrong for them.鈥�
In response to the challenge causing such a stir, Tide鈥檚 parent company Procter and Gamble released a statement, saying: 鈥淥ur laundry pacs are a highly concentrated detergent meant to clean clothes and they鈥檙e used safely in millions of households every day. They should be only used to clean clothes and kept up, closed and away from children. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance is, even if meant as a joke.鈥�
Tide also released an online campaign, featuring New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, discouraging the practice.
What should Tide PODs be used for? DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else.
鈥� Tide (@tide)
Eating a Tide POD is a BAD IDEA, and we asked our friend to help explain.
鈥淩aising awareness is kind of a double-edged sword,鈥� Meyers said. 鈥淚t draws more people to the controversy as participants as much as it dissuades people from engaging in it.鈥�
Video sharing service YouTube is removing videos involving people eating the detergent.
鈥淵ouTube鈥檚 Community Guidelines prohibit content that鈥檚 intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm,鈥� the company said in a statement.
Social media amplifies natural tendency towards risk: Meyers
The Tide pod challenge will soon fade, becoming last week鈥檚 game, before it鈥檚 replaced by whatever challenges comes next as youth look to wow their peers with something new.
And no matter what it is, it鈥檒l be online for all to see.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that social media is compelling young people to do this,鈥� Meyers said. 鈥淪ocial media is simply a tool by which they can do this and gain gratification by other people. So it amplifies some of the effects of young people鈥檚 natural tendency towards risk but it鈥檚 not the actual cause of risky behaviour.鈥�
While risk is a natural part of adolescence, Meyer said parents and school officials can play a role in talking with teens about balancing risk with acceptance 鈥� but the effectiveness of the message is in the delivery.
Instead of telling them 鈥渘o,鈥� which can often 鈥渂e like the forbidden fruit鈥� scenario, Meyers said, talking with the kid about why they鈥檙e feeling they need to take part can lead to a deeper discussion about decision making and online behaviours.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad to see that this sort of behaviour takes place, but it鈥檚 something that we need to talk about and to open up dialogues with young people 鈥� teenagers in particular 鈥� so we can understand their motivations but also have them reflect and unpack what the possible outcomes could be for them,鈥� Meyers said.
鈥淚n some cases they鈥檙e just not thinking in the long term about the consequences.鈥�
