14 DAY TRIAL // If you still weren’t sure the apocalypse is nigh, you probably never searched YouTube for Tide Pod challenge videos.
Because yes, this is a thing now, and it basically comes down to teenagers eating the color laundry detergent packs for a reason that grownups can’t seem to find. And as it turns out, this is not only stupid and dangerous, but also prohibited on YouTube, as the online video sharing platform says such videos violate its guidelines.
As a result, YouTube has started removing content showing people eating detergent (here are some words I never thought I’d write), warning that channels that post such images could be banned completely. On the other hand, clips discussing the matter in an educational manner are still allowed.
"YouTube's Community Guidelines prohibit content that's intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm," YouTube said in a statement. "We work to quickly remove flagged videos that violate our policies."
Tide: Don’t eat our detergent!
Apparently, this trend of people eating detergent packs has gone way out of control, so the Consumer Product Safety Commission had to release a public warning that ingesting the pods is… well… not recommended.
“A product intended to make your clothes clean and bright should not lead to a parent having to call the poison help line because their child is in distress,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.
Tide itself tries to educate customers, and the company posted a tweet last week to explain that detergent shouldn’t be used for anything else than doing laundry. The company teamed up with New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski in an attempt to make more people aware of the risks of eating its Pods.
“What should Tide PODs be used for? DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else. Eating a Tide POD is a BAD IDEA,” Tide said in its tweet.
Are all these campaigns enough to stop people from eating laundry pods? It’s hard to say, but the next time you’re drooling after some detergent, just take a minute and think: if you don’t care about your health, at least you should care about your YouTube account.
