There is a new viral challenge online called the one chip challenge. The premise of the challenge consists of eating a spicy Pacqui tortilla chip, and seeing how long a person can last before they “spiral out,” words directly from the brand’s marketing posts. On Thursday September 1st, a 14 year old boy ate one and passed away shortly after. The product is now being pulled from shelves. 

According to the Fatality Draws Scrutiny to Spicy ‘One Chip Challenge’, an article in the New York Times, Lois Wolobah, mother of the 14 year old boy, stated that the nurse at her son’s school called her Friday to tell her that her son, Harris, had fainted after eating a tortilla chip. When Wolobah got to the high school, her son showed her an image on his phone of the Paqui chip that made him sick. 

A few hours later, Harris passed out at home, stated by Lois and her husband, Amos. He was taken to an emergency room, where he died. 

The family of the teen is devastated by this tragedy. At the onset of the uproar, the product was  removed from grocery stores and representatives of the brand have expressed their condolences. This poses the question of the extent of influence media has on teenagers, and the potential repercussions of people pursuing internet fads without adequate awareness of what they’re getting into. 

The One Chip challenge is just one example of hundreds of viral social media challenges gone wrong.

Guest Writer: Jihwan Kim