A grieving Oklahoma father is urging parents to pay closer attention to what their kids are watching online.
Enid resident Richard Presson lost his 15-year-old daughter, Leah Presson, to a dangerous trend, disguised as a “challenge” that numerous children and teenagers have fallen for.
“It hurts to see that my daughter is now laying lifeless because of some challenge that couldn’t be stopped,” the bereaved father said.
A grieving Oklahoma father is urging parents to pay closer attention to what their kids are watching online
Image credits: Leah Presson
Leah Presson, at the age of 15, landed in the ICU after attempting the viral “Benadryl Challenge.”
The “challenge” is all about having an excess amount of Benadryl, an over-the-counter allergy medication, and then staying awake as the medication triggers hallucinations.
Image credits: Richard Presson
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The popularity of the challenge grew dangerously high, forcing the US Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning against taking higher than recommended doses of Benadryl, as it can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even losing one’s life.
“We are aware of news reports of teenagers ending up in emergency rooms or dy*ng after participating in the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ encouraged in videos posted on the social media application TikTok,” the FDA said in its 2020 warning.
The department said it strongly urged TikTok to remove such videos from the platform.
Richard Presson lost his 15-year-old daughter, Leah Presson, to the dangerous Benadryl challenge
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Richard said Leah took up the challenge at least five times, with her first being around Christmas in 2025.
“I never heard of it until my ex-wife told me about it the other day…,” he told NewsNation earlier this month. “I urge other people to [communicate]…”
“Or if there’s ever a sign of something like this or a new challenge to educate their kids, communicate with someone that can communicate with the child,” he added.
Leah suffered seizures last month after ingesting an overdose of Bendaryl and was hospitalized at the Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
She spent days in the ICU with zero brain activity before she was pronounced lifeless on June 14.
“Leah is a very great person and she always wanted to be TikTok famous,” her father told the outlet. “It hurts to see that my daughter is now laying lifeless because of some challenge that couldn’t be stopped.”
The family wanted to use her “small little body” to donate organs and possibly “save up to 90 other lives.”
“She’s been a giver her whole life. She’s wanted to save lives and stuff like that,” Richard said.
Leah was in the ICU with zero brain activity after ingesting more than the recommended dose of Bendaryl
Image credits: Richard Presson
Parents and children are often warned about the risks of the viral “Benadryl challenge,” which has seen a resurgence on TikTok in recent times.
Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego raised the alarm in May, saying their emergency department received at least five children in one week for taking up the “Benadryl challege.”
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Fort Worth Children’s Hospital in Texas also said in April that they treated more than 100 patients for Benadryl overdoses in six months. One of the patients tragically lost their life as well.
“When you take the Benadryl or diphenhydramine in excess of that, in excess of this, it can lead to seizures and cardiac arrhythmias, and sometimes those cardiac arrhythmias lead to cardiac arrest, which can lead to no blood to the brain, which can lead to brain d**th,” Dr. Ryan Brown of Oklahoma Children’s at OU Health told Nexstar’s KFOR.
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A possible Benadryl overdose could be identified through signs like agitation, drowsiness, or looking flushed. And parents must seek medical help if they suspect their child has ingested too much of it, has collapsed, cannot be woken up, has trouble breathing, or appears to have had a seizure.
“If your child is acting strange, look around,” Dr. Brown said. “Make sure that there’s not an empty pill bottle or something in the vicinity that may lead you to a clue as to what may have been going on.”
It is essential for parents to warn them about the potential dangers of viral TikTok challenges
Image credits: Leah Presson
Dr. Chandler Hicks, a child psychiatrist, said adults must have conversations with children about the risks of such online challenges, because they might not recognize the dangers linked to them.
“Some of it can just be being naive, being young, and not really understanding the consequences. Some of it can be attention-seeking. Some of it can be peer pressure related,” Dr. Hicks said.
He also said its essential for parents to keep a watch on their kids’ screen time and the content they are exposed to.
As Richard deals with the loss of his teenage daughter, he said he wants adults to be aware of “where they can educate their kids.”
“These challenges are just silly, and they need to be educated so it doesn’t happen again,” he added.
Netizens raised the alarm over the uptick in teenagers losing their lives to TikTok challenges in recent years
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