10 Dangerous TikTok Challenges That Got Banned for Safety Reasons

TikTok challenges are a great way to interact and build connections on the platform. However, the emergence of dangerous TikTok trends has become a concern for parents and health professionals.

These challenges involve risky activities that can lead to severe injuries or even death. Despite the obvious dangers, these challenges still appeal to many TikTok users, particularly teenagers, who desire to go viral or fit in with their peers.

In this article, I’ll reveal some of the most dangerous, deadly, and banned TikTok challenges to raise awareness and discourage participation in these harmful activities.

What Are TikTok Challenges?

TikTok challenges are popular trends in which users perform specific tasks set to music, a famous sound byte, or tied to a particular hashtag. The task can be a stunt, dance moves, or lip-syncing videos.

TikTok challenges go viral quickly, reaching millions and getting thousands of likes and comments. They mostly appeal to millennials and Gen Z because they are competitive and find TikTok challenges a way to gain followers fast and become famous overnight. 

Most TikTok challenges are entertaining and harmless. However, there's a fine line between harmless fun and dangerous activities. Some of these challenges pose risks to participants' safety.

Examples of Dangerous TikTok Challenges and the Havocs They Caused

The following is a list of 10 of the most dangerous TikTok challenges ever and the harm they have caused. You should avoid engaging in these activities to gain followers and engagement. Your safety and well-being are far more important than internet fame.

1. The Skull Breaker Challenge

The Skull Breaker Challenge is a dangerous stunt that has led to serious injuries among teenagers in the US and the UK. The challenge involves two people kicking their legs out from under a third person, causing them to fall backward violently. 

This challenge has been termed as a form of bullying since the middle person usually has no clue the other two will kick them to a fall.

In New Jersey, two children faced charges of third-degree aggravated assault and endangering an injured victim after an incident involving the Skull Breaker Challenge.

The Washington Post reported that a 13-year-old boy from Camden got hospitalized after participating in the prank. Additionally, there were reports of injuries in Pennsylvania, Oregon, Arkansas, and Alabama.

TikTok has already removed all harmful content on the challenge from its platform.

2. The Benadryl Challenge

The Benadryl Challenge, also known as “the hallucination game,” is another dangerous trend that encourages young people to take excessive amounts of the over-the-counter drug Benadryl and similar medications.

This challenge urges viewers to consume up to 12 tablets at once to induce hallucinations, far exceeding the recommended dosage. For context, the maximum allowed dose in 24 hours is six tablets for children aged 6 to under 12 and 12 tablets for adults and children over 12. 

The FDA issued a memo to warn people about the serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or death that can result from taking higher doses of the drug.

In mid-2020, this TikTok challenge promoting the misuse of antihistamines led to several alarming incidents. A 15-year-old girl in Oklahoma lost her life after ingesting a fatal dose of Benadryl, reportedly influenced by videos watched on TikTok.

Earlier that year, the Cook Children’s Hospital in Texas reported admitting three teens who had taken excessive amounts of allergy medication after watching similar videos.

In 2023, a tragedy occurred in Greenfield, Ohio, where a teenager named Jacob Howard Stevens took part in the TikTok challenge. The 13-year-old died after consuming pills, estimated between 12 and 14. This excessive dosage triggered severe seizures.

The boy's father later explained that Jacob's system was overwhelmed by the overdose, leading to irreversible brain damage.

The fact that teenagers were hospitalized in 2020 and another still died in 2023 from the Benadryl Challenge highlights the critical need for awareness and education about the dangers of such trends.

Although TikTok claims to have removed all related content from its platform, it’s still possible that videos from the challenge still exist and could still pose risks to young users.

3. The Outlet Challenge

The Outlet Challenge called on users to partially insert a cell phone charger into an electrical outlet and then drop a penny between the prongs and the outlet. This action causes the outlet to short-circuit and spark. 

This challenge has led to incidents of electrical and fire damage to schools in Massachusetts, such as Plymouth North High School and Westford Academy.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or significant damage, but the incident prompted a strong response from local authorities, charging three students involved with attempted arson and malicious property damage.

4. The One Chip Challenge

Paqui, a tortilla chip company, promoted the One Chip Challenge. It involves eating a single extremely spicy chip and then waiting as long as possible before eating or drinking anything else. 

There have been multiple reports of kids experiencing adverse side effects and even being hospitalized after attempting the challenge.

Tragically, a 14-year-old student at Doherty Memorial High School in Massachusetts died shortly after participating in the challenge.

In another incident, a family in San Francisco faced a frightening situation when their 6th grader ate a tortilla chip and started experiencing seizures. 

Since the incidents, the company pulled its product from shelves and discontinued its one-chip challenge.

5. NyQuil Chicken or “Sleepy Chicken” Challenge

The NyQuil Chicken challenge is a TikTok trend where people were cooking chicken with cold and flu medication, specifically NyQuil. Participants are encouraged to share their attempts using the hashtag #sleepychicken.

According to the FDA, heating medication like NyQuil evaporates some components, rendering it more concentrated and altering its properties, potentially life threatening. Even without eating the chicken, you can inhale the medication vapors as you cook and get high levels of the drugs in your body, which is very unsafe.

TikTok removed the video showcasing this challenge from the platform to protect the health risks of its users. However, some TikTok users have reposted the video on various social media platforms and garnered media attention before its removal.

TikTok has since redirected searches for the challenge to a warning about the dangers of online challenges.

6. The Blackout Challenge

The Blackout Challenge is a modern incarnation of a choking dare that has existed since 2008.

The fatal trend that links to the deaths of at least 20 children encourages users to choke themselves with household items until they lose consciousness and then post their reactions when they regain consciousness.

According to data compiled by Bloomberg, at least 15 of these victims were ages 12 or younger, and five were aged 13 or 14.

Accounted for those deaths were two students from South Orange Middle School in New Jersey who passed out after engaging in the challenge.

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have since been sued by parents who claim their children died as a result of participating in this challenge.

7. Tooth Filling Challenge

The Tooth Filing challenge involves using a nail file to saw down teeth to a desirable height. In these videos, users take a regular nail file and file the ends of their front teeth in a back-and-forth motion to remove ridges and uneven edges.

Various files, including metal and glass, were used for this purpose. However, this trend poses significant risks because teeth filing is permanent.

According to dentists reacting to the videos from this challenge, filing your teeth down can lead to severe dental issues that irreversibly alter your smile. If the results are unsatisfactory, there is no natural way to reverse the damage.

@officialislanddentalny Filing down your teeth with a nail file Please dont do this#dentist #nailfile #teeth ♬ original sound – islanddentalny 8. The Chroming Challenge

The Chroming TikTok trend involves encouraging users to inhale dangerous chemicals for recreational drug use. Users breathe in fumes from various household products. These may include cosmetic items like nail polish remover, personal care aerosols, gasoline, solvents, and even permanent markers.

This practice can lead to severe health issues, including brain damage, cardiac arrest, and even death.

An 11-year-old boy in the UK died after inhaling toxic chemicals while attempting the chroming challenge. Another case involved Esra, a 13-year-old from Australia who went into cardiac arrest at a slumber party due to chroming, causing her to suffer brain damage.

9. The Milk Crate Challenge

The Milk Crate Challenge, also known as the Crate Challenge, involves stacking milk crates into a podium-like structure, with both sides acting as stairs. Participants are expected to climb to the top of the crates and descend without collapsing the structure or falling, which poses a significant risk of injury.

Health professionals have criticized the challenge for its unnecessary risk to personal health. Injuries from falls can include broken bones, sprains, and other serious physical harm.

TikTok has eliminated search results for the “milk crate challenge” and replaced it with a warning about the dangers of undertaking harmful challenges.

Source: TikTok 10. The BORG Challenge

The “BORG” challenge is a drinking practice that involves drinking from a large container, typically a gallon jug, partially filled with water. Students then add a significant amount of alcohol, powdered drink mixes, and flavor enhancers. The students would then name the mixture, playing on the word “BORG.”

This trend has spread rapidly on TikTok, accumulating 74.7 million views.The BORG drinking challenge led to 46 students from UMass Amherst getting hospitalized.

What Makes TikTok Challenges Get Banned?

As we’ve seen, some of the challenges that started as a joke, like the one chip challenge, can become fatal when young TikTok users partake and risk their lives.

TikTok will ban challenges for the following reasons:

• Risky behaviors: Some challenges, like the milk crate challenge, encourage dangerous stunts, leading to serious injuries or fatalities.
• Community guidelines: TikTok's safety policies include removing content that promotes harmful activities.
• Psychological impact: Participation in dangerous challenges can cause stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
• Social influence: The pressure to fit in and gain peer approval can push users to take unnecessary risks, like the chroming and the blackout challenge.

How to Stay Safe on TikTok: Tips for Young Users and Parents

If you’re a young TikTok user, consider the potential risks and consequences before participating in any challenge.

Research and understand the full context of a challenge to ensure it’s safe. You can google or search on YouTube for any news on the challenge.

Follow community guidelines and avoid content that violates them. You may have your account banned for violating these rules. If you come across a harmful challenge, report it to TikTok immediately.

Here are tips to ensure safety on the TikTok app:

• Keep up with the latest TikTok trends and challenges to understand the potential dangers your children are at risk of.
• Talk to your children about the dangers of certain challenges and encourage them to share their online experiences.
• Establish guidelines for TikTok usage, including time limits and content restrictions. TikTok recommends a maximum of 60 minutes daily for users under 18.
• Use parental control features and regularly check your children’s TikTok activities to ensure their safety.

Now You Know Which TikTok Challenges to Avoid!

TikTok is a fun and creative platform for users to express themselves. However, it also comes with the responsibility of ensuring safety.

As TikTok continues to enforce its community guidelines and remove harmful content, users should stay informed, prioritize their well-being, and think before engaging in trends.

Let’s make wise choices so that everyone can enjoy TikTok safely.