Grantville Police in Georgia is warning families about the viral “Benadryl Challenge,” which urges people to take excessive doses of Benadryl for hallucinations. The warning follows tragic fallout reported in Oklahoma, where an Oklahoma father said his 15-year
Grantville parents are being asked to take a new social media warning seriously—right as another dangerous viral trend makes the rounds.
The Grantville Police Department is urging families to speak with their children after the “Benadryl Challenge” gained attention online. The challenge promotes taking excessive amounts of Benadryl in an attempt to experience hallucinations. and health officials warn that exceeding recommended dosages can lead to serious and potentially deadly consequences.
In a post on its official Facebook page. the Grantville Police Department asked parents to address the trend directly with their kids. “Please speak to your children. What is the ‘Benadryl Challenge?’” the department wrote. It explained that the challenge urges viewers to take as many as 12 tablets at a time to supposedly induce hallucinations. For perspective. the department said. the maximum allowed dose in a 24-hour period is six tablets for children 6 to under 12 years of age and 12 tablets for adults and children over 12 years of age. It added that taking more than the recommended amount can lead to nausea, seizures or even death.
Officials also spelled out the risk list in plain terms: side effects can include nausea, seizures, heart complications, and, in some cases, death.
The warning lands with extra weight after an Oklahoma father spoke publicly following a reported death connected to the challenge.
Richard Presson said his 15-year-old daughter reportedly died after participating in the “Benadryl Challenge.” He told KOCO News 5 that he learned about her involvement from one of her friends. Presson said. “I was told by one of my daughter’s friends that her and my daughter have both been doing this challenge.”.
Presson described watching his daughter deteriorate in real time. He said, “My daughter is now in ICU. She’s been here for five days. It’s heartbreaking to watch your loved one go through this. She was perfectly fine Sunday. Within 24 hours. she’s tried this. and she’s laying lifeless.” At the time. Presson said his daughter had lost all brain function and was being kept alive by a ventilator.
He used the same urgency to reach other parents. asking them to watch for new trends and find out what they actually mean before it’s too late. Presson said, “Anybody else that has children?. I just highly advise them to watch out for new trending challenges. Look for signs of it. Look them up and see what they mean. If someone would have spoken sooner and made us aware, this could have saved countless lives. At least my daughter’s life. I want to make other people aware.”.
As the story circulated, social media users pushed back with fear, frustration, and disbelief—some saying the trend has been around for years.
Under The Shade Room Teens’ post. Instagram user @denaeyahdiane_ wrote. “This been a challenge since as long as I could remember about 2020 and should have BEEN looked into and shut tf DOWN!!!!!” Instagram user @taliyahmarieeeee added. “Ng this trend been around since I was in middle school and I just graduated high school. Good thing it’s getting awareness now.”.
Others described how they view the risk. Instagram user @lo.suckafree wrote. “1 Benadryl put me down … who doing this ?!!” Instagram user @lorixasiaa said. “now i’m scared cause i take ts whenever i try to force myself to sleep & i take 2… now i’m hearing so much different stuff about it…. cause nah ya will have you KNOCKED & sleepy for hours.”.
A few commenters shifted the focus from “challenges” to intentional harm. Instagram user @over_ts_deadass wrote. “I need yall too realize that these aren’t “trends” but ideas placed by people tryin to hurt kids bc I ain’t even heard of ts and im chronically online 😭 somebody is out there on your kids fyp trying to get your child to hurt themselves under the guise of a “fun challenge/trend” stop calling it trends bc when yall do that yall point it at certain generations as if we came up with it start monitoring your child’s feed.”.
Not all replies were dark. Instagram user @abodef_tizjah joked, “Let’s try an ELA challenge. A spelling challenge. A reading challenge. Something worthwhile. Ho my goodness.” Instagram user @mr_grindhard4 wrote. “Challenge each other to be better can we do that.” Instagram user @thepairyj added. “yall saying the trend old is even scarier.”.
The sequence of events is stark: police in Georgia are warning families about a challenge that encourages excessive Benadryl use, and an Oklahoma father described a reported death connected to that same trend—followed by online debate that ranges from outrage to uneasy second-guessing.
For now, the call from Grantville’s police is direct: talk to kids, ask what they’ve seen, and don’t treat these viral ideas as harmless games.
Benadryl Challenge Georgia police warning Grantville Police Department viral challenge Benadryl hallucinations parents warning Richard Presson Oklahoma father ICU ventilator social media trends The Shade Room Teens