Fort Worth children's hospital warns parents about "Benadryl challenge" after 100 ER visits, 1 death

A North Texas children's hospital is warning parents about a social media challenge after an increase in Benadryl overdoses.

Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth said that in just the last six months, more than 100 patients have visited its emergency department. The hospital said one of those patients died.

This isn't the first time Cook Children's has dealt with this particular challenge. In 2020, three North Texas teens were treated after ingesting an excessive amount of Benadryl that they said was because of a TikTok video.

The videos on TikTok claimed that users could get high and hallucinate if they took a dozen or more of the allergy pills.

"We are seeing either children are taking the medication in an inappropriate amount intentionally or accidentally ingesting it," said Dr. Stephanie Felton, who is the associate medical director for the emergency department.

Medical experts are urging parents to maintain open communication with their children, which they consider the first line of defense in preventing this outcome.

String in deadly social media challenges

However, the "Benadryl challenge" isn't the only social media challenge that has had deadly consequences in recent months. In March 2026, CBS News Texas spoke with the parents of a 9-year-old girl who died after participating in the "blackout challenge."

The challenge, which involves people intentionally choking themselves to get a brief euphoric high, has been circulating on social media for years.

JackLynn Blackwell was found with a cord wrapped around her neck after she went outside to play in her backyard. Her parents believe she was copying what she saw on social media and became one of the 80 documented cases of death from the blackout challenge, according to the CDC.

"I found her unconscious, she was leaned into the cord," Curtis Blackwell said. "I tried to do everything I could to save her. I got her off the cord. I tried to give her CPR until the first responders got there. It was the most terrifying, shocking thing I've ever seen. It was horrible to see my daughter in such a vulnerable state because of something so senseless."