OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Social media challenges can spread quickly, drawing laughs one moment and raising serious safety concerns the next. For one Oklahoma family, an online trend has ended in unimaginable grief after their teenage daughter died following what has been described as a TikTok “Benadryl challenge.”
Richard Presson, of Enid, said his 15-year-old daughter, Leah, was hospitalized last week and fighting for her life after suffering seizures. Her family says she had taken an excessive amount of Benadryl, an allergy medication, as part of a challenge that encourages people to ingest the drug in large quantities in an attempt to hallucinate.
Now, Presson is speaking out in hopes of helping other parents recognize the risks tied to viral online challenges before another family faces the same heartbreak.
“I just want everybody to be aware to where they can educate their kids,” he said. “But these challenges are just silly, and they need to be educated so it don’t happen again.”
Dr. Chandler Hicks, a child psychiatrist at OU Health, said young people may not always understand how dangerous these trends can be, which makes regular conversations at home especially important.
“If your child is using iPads or on Roblox or other different gaming devices, they may be exposed to bad things, and you should start that from a young age,” Hicks said.
Hicks said parents may also want to consider practical limits, such as setting screen-time rules or having children put devices away at night.
“Some of it can just be being naive, being young, and not really understanding the consequences. Some of it can be attention-seeking. Some of it can be peer pressure related,” said Dr. Hicks.
Another tip he said is to watch your child’s behavior for changes. Dr. Hicks said to become curious if your child is isolating themselves, if their peer group is changing or if their grades have begun to slip.
The Presson family held Leah’s celebration of life a few days ago to remember her loving personality and share memories. In a social media post, Presson wrote: “Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed, supported us, and loved Leah through all of this. Your kindness means more than words can express. Forever in our hearts, Leah.”
