Teen Death After Spicy ‘One Chip Challenge’ Raises Alarm

Welcome to Culture Clinic, MedPage Today’s collaboration with Northwell Health to offer a healthcare professional’s take on the latest viral medical topics.

A Massachusetts teen’s death after reportedly consuming a single spicy tortilla chip at the center of a social media challenge is raising alarm.

Though the cause of the 14-year-old’s death was not immediately clear, his mother told the New York Times that one of the last things her son ate was a Paqui brand chip from a coffin-shaped container with a label that read “One Chip Challenge” and “Inside: One Extremely Hot Chip.”

Indeed, the website for Paqui has touted the hashtag #OneChipChallenge. However, the company has now pulled the product as officials investigate the boy’s death. A notice posted on Paqui’s site reads that the chips have “clear and prominent labeling” warning that the chips are for adults only and not for children, but that there’s been “an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings.”

“As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves,” the company wrote.

MedPage Today spoke with child and adolescent psychiatrist Scott Krakower, DO, of Northwell Health in Glen Oaks, New York, regarding just how hazardous extreme challenges making the rounds on social media can be.

“We see these things a lot,” Krakower told MedPage Today. “Something will happen, and it quickly spreads.”

It’s “awful” to see stories like this, he said.

As for the rise of the “One Chip Challenge” on social media, Krakower said it’s no surprise that young people have come across it, and engaged in it.

Social media content is often filtered by what users have previously interacted with, he noted. So, if a child or adolescent has viewed one extreme challenge online, they’re likely to see more.

Further troubling is that the brain’s prefrontal cortex is still developing in young people, making it more likely for them to act on impulse, noted Krakower. Accordingly, if a social media challenge appears “sensational” and “fun,” kids and teens may be quick to jump on it, he said.

“You don’t always think a chip can be dangerous,” but an extremely spicy food item can damage an individual’s digestive tract, or even cause someone to choke, Krakower said.

Capsaicin is the compound in chili peppers responsible for burning and irritation, and a Cleveland Clinic post on the potential risks of spicy foods from earlier this year notes that “your body may see capsaicin as a toxin and try to get rid of it.” Symptoms may include abdominal pain, burning diarrhea, chest pain, headaches, and violent vomiting. Damage or pain can become so severe that individuals require emergency care.

The chip involved in the “One Chip Challenge” contains the Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, according to Paqui’s website, and a warning label there states the following:

• Keep out of reach of children.
• Intended for adult consumption.
• Do not eat if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, night shades or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions.
• After touching the chip, wash your hands with soap and do not touch your eyes or other sensitive areas.
• Seek medical assistance should you experience difficultly breathing, fainting or extended nausea.

However, reports indicate that young people have been partaking in the challenge nonetheless.

“I see kids, they want to be a TikTok star,” they want to be present and sensational and gain followers and likes, Krakower said.

His work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist often involves addressing concerns regarding addiction to social media. However, said Krakower, “a lot of kids will also tell you they feel [it] has been really positive for them.” For instance, they may point to friend groups they never would have had without social media.

“It’s a balance between how do we continue to connect with people socially through the internet,” he said, while also making sure kids take breaks from social media and stay socially connected in school.

As for the “One Chip Challenge” and others like it, Krakower remains troubled.

All of the factors at play can add up to potentially life-threatening challenges, he said, with an ante that “keeps going up and up, and there’s no way to stop.”

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