Cinnamon Challenge On Social Media
YouTubeThe Cinnamon Challenge has been around for decades, and while it hasn’t directly led to any deaths, experts have warned about the potentially fatal dangers, especially after a young boy died from eating too much ground cinnamon.
One of the oldest social media challenges in the book is the Cinnamon Challenge, where participants attempt to swallow a whole spoonful of ground cinnamon in a minute on camera.
Instances of the Cinnamon Challenge have been found online dating back to 2001, while popularity of the challenge peaked in 2012. According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. poison control centers fielded 139 calls about the Cinnamon Challenge in the first three months of 2012 alone.
“We urge parents and caregivers to talk to their teens about the Cinnamon Challenge, explaining to their teens that what may seem like a silly game can have serious health consequences,” said Dr. Alvin C. Bronstein, the medical and managing director of Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.
Many experts have spoken out about the dangers of the Cinnamon Challenge, which often sees a person’s mouth and throat get coated with cinnamon, and can cause choking, vomiting, and even scarring of the lungs. Tragically, in 2015, a four-year-old Kentucky boy named Matthew died after he ingested cinnamon powder. While that death was unrelated to the viral challenge, the boy’s mom and medical experts have said it illustrates the dangerous nature of ingesting large quantities of cinnamon.
“Cinnamon can kill,” said Brianna Rader, the boy’s mother, according to FOX 29. “All these kids, they don’t think about the fact it can hurt them.”
After reading about social media challenges that turned deadly, learn about what happens to your online profiles after you die. Or, read about the creator of the Ice Bucket Challenge that raised funds for ALS.
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