NEW YORK (AP) — Procter & Gamble says it’s working to stop the “Tide Pod challenge,” a social media-fueled trend in which teenagers eat single-load laundry detergent packets.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers warned last week that it had seen a spike in teenagers eating the detergent pods, which it says can cause seizures, respiratory arrest and even death.
CEO David Taylor called the trend “dangerous” and “extremely concerning” in a blog post. He says the company is working with social media companies to remove videos of people biting into the detergent.
Last week, Tide spokesman and New England Patriots star Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski released a video urging people to stop the internet challenge.
The pods have generally been hit a for P&G, but shortly after introducing the product in 2012, the company said it would create a double-latch lid to deter young children from accessing and eating them.