Students talking about Tide pod challenge: Social worker

A viral challenge online has started to pique the interest of students in Saskatchewan.

Tammy Wagner, a social worker with the Prairie Valley School Division, said she’s heard of kids talking about the Tide pod challenge and what teens are seeing people do with the laundry pods — which have nothing to do with cleaning clothes.

“We’ve heard lots of teenagers talking about what would happen if they ate a Tide pod,” Wager said. “Just talking about the posts that are going viral (like) baking pizza’s with Tide pods (and) taking pictures of Tide pods in your mouth.”

It’s unknown where or when the challenge started in the United States. People of all ages have taken to social media to try different things with the laundry pods, such as placing one in your mouth to see how long it’ll last before your saliva breaks the pod.

Wagner believes the company itself has done a good job of putting out information that the pods are dangerous and not meant to be eaten. However, she said that she’s heard teenagers talk about how the pods look “yummy.”

“They’re colourful, they almost look like a gusher because they have a gel inside of them but again, teens aren’t aware that those chemicals inside would burn their throat if they were to ingest it.”

As for what age range is taking interest in the challenge, Wagner said any child with access to the internet and social media could have seen or read about it. She added it’s a good idea to have a conversation with your kids about the dangerous fad and it’s best to state the facts.

“I think young children probably think it’s funny where adolescents are maybe thinking it’s funny but also seeing other adolescents trying it so they might want to actually try it,” she said. “Just having a discussion about the negatives because — social media never posts that information — would be helpful for kids to know the full story.

Health Canada has a link on their website which provides information on the dangers of laundry detergent packets.

— With files from the 980 CJME Morning Show.