Arlington Officials Warn Of Two 'Troubling' TikTok Trends

ARLINGTON, MA — Officials in Arlington are urging parents to be aware of two "troubling" TikTok trends among teens.

"Officials do not believe that these 'challenges' are a prevalent issue in Arlington, but officials would like families to be aware," Police Chief Julie Flaherty, Superintendent Elizabeth Homan and Health & Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno said in a joint statement.

One trend, dubbed the "Benadryl Challenge," encourages TikTok users to take large doses of the medicine in order to supposedly induce hallucinations, police said.

The FDA said taking higher than the recommended doses of Benadryl can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or death. Teens across the country have ended up in the emergency room, and at least one death have been reported, as a result of the challenge, police said.

"Misuse of medications like Benadryl puts people at a high risk of injury or worse," Bongiorno said in a statement. "Medication should only be taken as directed by the manufacturer or a doctor. By spreading awareness about the challenge and its negative effects, we hope to educate parents and teens alike about these reckless and dangerous social media posts."

Families are advised to secure and lock up allergy medicine to prevent misuse. Residents are reminded that they can safely dispose of any unused, unwanted or expired medications at the disposal drop box located in the lobby of the Arlington Police Department. The box is available 24/7.

Residents should immediately call 911 in the event of an overdose.

Another viral trend encourages students to post videos of themselves or others stealing or vandalizing school property, including removing soap dispensers off walls, clogging toilets and dismantling sinks. The "Devious Licks" challenge has resulted in an uptick in vandalism and theft in schools nationwide, police said.

"It is our goal to foster a safe and welcoming environment for learning inside the school, and this can only be done if our school property and those in the school are treated with respect," Superintendent Elizabeth Homan said. "Stealing or vandalizing school property is not harmless, and students could get in serious trouble if they participate. We encourage all our students to treat each other, their teachers and their surroundings with respect."

In a tweet Sept. 15, TikTok said it was removing content related to the challenge, including the #deviouslick hashtag, and "redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior."

"We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities," a spokesperson for the company wrote in an email to Patch.

But TikTok users have gotten around the crackdown by posting under alternate hashtags like "#dispicablelicks," USA Today reported.

Officials encourage parents to discuss these trends with their children in order to make them aware of the consequences and discourage participation.

"We urge parents to talk to their students about these dangerous trends and the implications of these types of actions," Flaherty said. "Short-lived fame on social media is not worth the potentially harmful impacts that these trends could have."

For questions about these challenges, parents and guardians are urged to contact their child’s principal.