YouTube and Facebook are trying to stop the spread of the Tide Pod Challenge, a bizarre and dangerous phenomenon in which social media users eat laundry detergent packets on camera.
YouTube, which is owned by Google, says it’s taking down clips that show people taking bites of the pods. The videos have become an online craze among teenagers, prompting widespread health and safety warnings.
“YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit content that’s intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We work to quickly remove flagged videos that violate our policies.”
Facebook has also removed posts from its platforms, including Instagram.
A company spokesperson told CNNMoney that “we don’t allow the promotion of self-injury and will remove it when we’re made aware of it.”
For years, children have inadvertently eaten the toxic packets, leading to accidental poisonings and calls for parents to keep them away from their kids. Some say the products can be mistaken for candy.
But in recent weeks, the #TidePodChallenge hashtag has exploded, leading the American Association of Poison Control Centers to issue an alert.
Fox news BY JOE MILLITZER AND STAFF WRITER,