19 Fatal TikTok Challenges That Went Too Far And Ended In Real Tragedies

The NyQuil Chicken Challenge is a dangerous social media trend that involves cooking chicken in NyQuil, a cold and flu medicine. The trend has been around for some time, but it also had a comeback on TikTok.
 
In response to the viral challenge, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a strong warning, calling the trend unappetizing and very unsafe.

As per the FDA, heating NyQuil can change the drug’s chemical makeup, turning it into a harmful vapor. Inhaling that vapor can irritate or even damage the lungs, according to MedStar Health.

Eating the cooked chicken poses other risks, as the NyQuil ingredients, such as acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine succinate, can become dangerously concentrated. Thus, participants could risk experiencing nausea, poisoning, or worse.

Fractal Burning has become a popular crafting trend on social media platforms, including TikTok.

The Fractal Burning trend, or Lichtenberg wood burning, involves soaking wood in an electrolytic solution and passing high-voltage electricity through it to produce a ferning or ‘Lichtenberg’ pattern.

While Fractal Burning can produce aesthetically pleasing crafts, it is very dangerous. In 2020, the Oxford Academic Journal of Burn Care & Research tracked 625 fatalities that were related to Fractal Wood Burning.

Among the victims of Fractal Burning was a couple in Wisconsin, who ended up causing a fire due to a Fractal Burning attempt, and whose bodies were recovered in the remains of their home.

According to Inside Edition, investigators later determined that the couple passed away due to electrocution from fractal wood burning equipment.

The Door Kick Challenge, which is still popular this year on TikTok, involves participants recording themselves forcefully kicking random residential front doors, then fleeing before homeowners respond.

Typically, these challenges are done during early morning hours, according to CBS News.

Law enforcement across multiple U.S. states has warned that the TikTok trend could result in property damage, trespassing, and a possible confrontation with a homeowner.

In Maryland alone, two teens were charged after allegedly kicking in a home’s front door at around 3:15 a.m. Justin Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, warned that those participating in the Door Kick Challenge are playing with very real dangers.

“What may seem like a funny prank to a child is not. And you're infringing on someone's right by being on their property,” he said.

The Benadryl Challenge is a dangerous TikTok trend that became viral in 2020 in which participants, who were often teenagers, would consume excessive doses of Benadryl to induce hallucinations or delirium.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally issued a warning in September 2020 after reports surfaced of severe overdoses, some of them fatal.

These include Chloe Phillips, a 15‑year‑old sophomore at Blanchard High School in Oklahoma, who participated in the Benadryl Challenge. She passed away after overdosing on the medicine, according to The Sun.

Jacob Stevens, a 13-year-old from Ohio, also passed away after participating in the fatal TikTok trend. According to an ABC6 report, Stevens took about 12 to 14 pills, causing an overdose. He was on a ventilator for a week before he passed away.

The Fire Challenge involves participants typically dousing their bodies in flammable liquids before igniting the flames. The videos are then posted on social media platforms such as TikTok in an attempt to go viral.

The trend has already led to serious injuries. According to CBS News, three teenagers were hospitalized in relation to the challenge.
 
In Houston, 14-year-old Michael Simonete suffered second-degree burns and was rushed to the hospital. At least one fatality linked to the challenge has also been reported.

Fire officials warn that the stunts are escalating, with participants using more hazardous fuels and exposing larger areas of their skin to flames.

“They're already looking at the sites, they're seeing the videos,” said Micki Trost of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. “We can't step back and pretend it's not out there.”

The One Chip Challenge dares participants to eat a single Paqui-branded tortilla chip infused with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, then endure the intense heat without relief for as long as possible.

Social media users found humor in participants’ struggles to handle the extreme heat from the Paqui tortilla chip, resulting in a lot of One Chip Challenge videos becoming viral on platforms such as TikTok.

The challenge continued to surge despite the tragic story of 14‑year‑old Harris Wolobah, who lost his life due to the trend in September 2023.

According to a report from People Magazine, the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that the teen passed away from consuming a high level of chili pepper extract.

In response to the tragedy, Paqui issued a comment stating that the One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only.

“Paqui’s One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions,” the company stated.

Closely related to the Blackout Challenge, the Choking or Pass-Out Challenge encourages participants to temporarily strangle themselves by restricting oxygen to the brain.

Similar to the other challenges on this list, the participants are often filmed for social media.

The Choking Challenge has been around for some time, too, with a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention way back in 2008 finding 82 children over a 12-year period passing away after playing the “Choking Game.”

According to The Conversation, about 87% of the participants of the Choking Game were reportedly male, and their average age was just 13 years old.

The “Last One to Fall Asleep Wins,” or the Clonazepam Challenge, is reportedly a TikTok trend where children take clonazepam, a sedative, and compete to stay awake despite the drowsiness the medication causes.
 
The challenge has reportedly sent multiple students to hospitals across Mexico, according to Mexico News Daily.

In one case, 15 primary school students at the Profesora María de Jesús López school fell ill after reportedly taking clonazepam. Four were hospitalized, while the others were treated on-site. The children were just 10 and 11 years old.

Mexico’s Ministry of Health, Cofepris, issued a warning about the challenge amid similar incidents that occurred in schools in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. All cases involved minors misusing prescription medication.

A TikTok spokesperson, however, claimed that the Clonazepam Challenge never became a trend on the platform, according to a report from Rest of the World.

The Chroming Challenge, also called “dusting,” involves participants inhaling fumes from household chemicals like keyboard cleaner, spray paint, or other solvents to achieve rapid intoxication. 

The trend has been around for years, though it has continued to become prolific on social media platforms such as TikTok. 

The challenge has claimed a lot of victims, including 19‑year‑old Renna O’Rourke from Arizona, who passed away after complications arose from the viral challenge just this June. 

According to The Independent, O’Rourke inhaled keyboard cleaner that she and her boyfriend acquired through DoorDash, which then triggered a cardiac arrest. She then spent a week in intensive care before passing away.

The Blue Whale Challenge first drew global fear in 2016 amid media reports from Russia, which claimed that a game had coerced vulnerable participants into ending their lives.

The Blue Whale Challenge is reportedly a series of tasks completed over 50 days, which culminate in the player taking their own life. The tasks are reportedly given by an administrator to players.

Investigations have failed to verify any direct link between the game and actual fatalities. That being said, arrests have been made in relation to the Blue Whale Challenge.

These include Philipp Budeikin, who claimed to have invented the game to “clean society of biological wastes,” as well as Ilya Sidorov, who was arrested for allegedly setting up a “Blue Whale” group.

In the United States, the passing of Jorge Gonzalez, a Texas teen, was related to the fatal game, as reported by CBS News. According to the teen’s family, Jorge’s social media accounts and communication with friends suggested that he participated in the Blue Whale Challenge.

The Tide Pod Challenge became viral in 2018, and it involved participants biting into the colorful and candy-like laundry detergent pods, then posting reactions online. 

The trend became really big on TikTok, and it led to a surge in poison-control center calls and hospitalizations across the United States, according to Trapani Law Firm.

The concentrated detergent is toxic when ingested, frequently causing chemical burns to the mouth and esophagus, respiratory distress, vomiting, and, in more serious cases, hospitalizations. 

The American Association of Poison Control Centers issued stern warnings about the viral trend, stating that eight children since 2012 have already passed away because they ingested Tide Pods, according to The Seattle Times.

The Momo Challenge is widely regarded as an internet hoax rather than a genuine viral trend. First reported in 2018, the trend involved the image of an eerie sculpture created by Japanese artist Keisuke Aso.

As per reports at the time, children were reportedly encouraged to perform self‑harm or violent acts by accounts claiming to be Momo. 

The alleged trend, in a way, seemed quite similar to the Blue Whale Challenge, which also culminated in self-harm or worse. 

Thankfully, while police departments and schools in multiple countries issued warnings about the Momo Challenge, no verifiable evidence emerged to support that any child actually participated in or was harmed by the alleged trend, according to BBC News. 

The so-called Boat Jumping Challenge purported that TikTok users were leaping off fast-moving boats into open water as a dare.

According to Mariner Law, a search of the Boat Jumping Challenge on TikTok would show a good number of videos related to the trend.

In 2023, reports emerged claiming that four drownings in Alabama were related to the TikTok Boat Jumping Challenge. 

A later statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency claimed that while the drownings were true, they were not related to the TikTok challenge, according to the Associated Press.

TikTok, for its part, argued that “boat jumping” never really trended on the social media platform. 

Elizabeth Losh, an American Studies professor who studies TikTok trends, did confirm the emergence of posts about the “Boat Jumping Challenge,” but they never really went viral.

On May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, twelve-year-old girls Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their friend Payton Leutner into the woods during a game of hide‑and‑seek, then st*bbed her 19 times.
 
They later said they believed performing the act would appease and gain favor with the fictional internet character Slender Man, a faceless, tall figure born from creepypasta forums.

Despite her severe injuries, Leutner miraculously survived after crawling to a nearby road, where she was fortunately found by a passerby.

The attackers were tried and committed to psychiatric institutions. Geyser was sentenced to 40 years in a mental institution, and Weier received 25 years.

Geyser, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, petitioned for conditional release in 2025, according to Fox6 Milwaukee. Authorities approved her move to a supervised care facility, though plans remain under scrutiny. Weier, for her part, was granted supervised release in 2021.

The Skull Breaker Challenge became viral on TikTok around 2020. The challenge involves two people fooling a third person into jumping into the air, then kicking their feet out from under them.

This causes a backwards fall, which then causes forceful trauma to the head and neck area when the individual falls to the ground. 

According to the Brain Injury Association of America, the Skull Breaker Challenge has resulted in broken bones and concussions.

Injuries ranged from concussions and spinal trauma to fractures. At least one middle schooler in Cherry Hill, N.J., suffered a concussion and seizure that led to two juveniles being arrested and charged with third-degree aggravated assault and third-degree endangering an injured victim, as reported by ABC6. 

The Penny Challenge is a viral TikTok stunt that involves sliding a penny behind a partially plugged-in phone charger. 

When the coin touches the exposed metal prongs, it creates a sudden electrical arc that can produce sparks, damage electrical systems, or even start fires.

Major Bobby Cooper of the Louisville Fire Department warned that the sparks generated by the Penny Challenge are extremely hazardous, according to a Wave3 report. 

“What it does is cause an intense spark,” he said. “With that intense spark, you get all kinds of hazards. Just the intense electricity, the intense amount of heat that it can cause to create a fire.”

“It could injure a kid's face, potentially an eye or ear,” Major Cooper said. “Kind of like a sparkler or fireworks, so there is a tremendous amount of danger there. It’s common sense, but as you say, it’s not so common.”

The Blackout Challenge is a modern iteration of the old ‘choking game,’ which involves participants restricting oxygen to another person’s brain, often by self‑strangulation or breath‑holding. The challenge was intended to induce fainting. 

Though the practice predates social media, it surged on TikTok around 2021, with numerous videos reportedly showing participants trying to pass out for fun and attention.

The dangers of the Blackout Challenge are notable, with several children and teens reportedly passing away due to the social media trend. 

According to The Guardian, the families of four teens in Britain who tragically passed away due to self-suffocation from the “Blackout Challenge” filed lawsuits against TikTok. 

The families alleged that the platform’s algorithm spread the content irresponsibly. TikTok, in its response, stated that searches for visas or hashtags related to the Blackout Challenge have been blocked since 2020.

The Salt and Ice Challenge gained online traction in the early 2010s, especially on YouTube and other popular social platforms at the time. When TikTok exploded in popularity, the challenge became prolific on it, too.

The challenge urges participants to sprinkle table salt on bare skin, then cover the area with an ice cube, ice pack, or other frozen objects. This causes a chemical reaction that lowers skin temperature, simulating frostbite. 

Results from the Salt and Ice Challenge include painful frostbite-like burns, open blisters, and permanent scars. 

A notable case involved a 12‑year‑old in Pittsburgh who developed second‑degree burns and required antibiotics and pain management medication, according to CBS Pittsburgh.

The college drinking fad known as BORG Drinking has become viral on TikTok. While not necessarily a challenge, it is nonetheless a very risky endeavor. 

Participants who follow the BORG Drinking trend carry their own 1-gallon container filled with a mixture of alcohol, water, electrolytes and flavoring. Participants then drink from this container all night.

Health experts have warned that BORGs are risky because of the volume of alcohol involved. According to WebMD, each jug can contain about 17 standard 1.5-ounce shots of liquor, making BORGs extreme binge drinking.

The risks of BORG Drinking were highlighted in March 2023, when 46 students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst were hospitalized after consuming their BORGs, according to CBS News.