Tide Pod Challenge (2018)
What it was
In early 2018, teens filmed themselves biting into Tide Pods — laundry detergent pods — as a dare. Poison control calls spiked, platforms pulled the videos, and it became the "kids these days" panic of its year.
Why it mattered
The first great moral panic of the short-video era, and the template for every challenge-panic since.
Status: dead.
The pods won.
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