The Benadryl Challenge isn’t going away - here’s how public health officials are trying to stop this deadly viral trend

Key Points:

• The “Benadryl Challenge,” a social media trend encouraging teens to consume excessive diphenhydramine to induce hallucinations, has led to multiple deaths in the U.S., including four teens in mid-2026 and an estimated 131 deaths from 2020 to 2024.
• Diphenhydramine overdose can cause severe anticholinergic toxicity resulting in delirium, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, coma, and death, yet many young people underestimate its risks due to its over-the-counter availability and peer pressure.
• Public health officials and agencies like the FDA have issued warnings, urged social media platforms like TikTok to remove harmful content, and emphasized the need for education on medication safety, while governments are increasingly holding platforms accountable under regulations like the EU’s Digital Services Act.
• Outside the U.S., responses have focused mainly on public awareness campaigns, such as those in Canada where warnings have been issued to communities after the challenge resurfaced, complicated by differences in diphenhydramine formulations under the “Benadryl” brand internationally.
• Experts advocate for proactive public health communication, improved digital health literacy, and school-based education programs to help youth critically assess online health content and prevent future dangerous social media challenges.