Cincinnati Children’s warns about dangerous ‘dry scooping’ TikTok challenge

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Doctors are warning parents about a new social media trend that they believe can be dangerous.

The “dry scooping” TikTok challenge encourages people to swallow dry protein powder or dry pre-workout powder without mixing it with water on video.

“I don’t know who comes up with that stuff. It’s disturbing. I wish it would stop,” FOX19 Tech Expert Dave Hatter said. “The idea that you’re gonna basically just ingest a bunch of this at once, not choke on it, not get sick, not have a heart attack, etc., it just doesn’t make sense.”

Medical staff members at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital shared a message online, warning people that it is a dangerous thing to do:

“TikTok trends come and go, but being aware of them can help keep kids safe. One circulating potentially dangerous trend that our Drug & Poison Information Center wants you to know about is called dry scooping. It involves eating protein powder or another pre-workout supplement directly from its container, without mixing it with water. This trend presents a choking risk with trying to ingest powder without liquids, and some of these supplements also contain a high amount of caffeine.

When consumed in excess or too rapidly, caffeine can cause jitters, upset stomach, sleep problems and increased heart rate. There have even been reports of heart attacks related to dry scooping. We encourage you to talk to your kids about the dangers of this trend. Ask them if they are taking supplements, read the labels, and make sure they are following the product instructions, instead of what they might have seen on TikTok.”

Health professionals are urging parents to take precautions. They suggest checking to see if your children are taking supplements. If so, they say you should make sure they are safe, and advise your kids to read and follow the product instructions.

Hatter said it is also a good idea to monitor smartphone apps.

“As a parent, how do you even know about these things, how do you stay ahead of it. It’s really hard, and it’s really disturbing, and I don’t know why any adult would put out this kind of content knowing there’s gonna be children and young adults who are gonna see this and say ‘oh yeah that sounds like a good idea, I think I’ll try that,” Hatter said. “Every cell phone manufacturer has some kind of parental controls that you can try to enable.”

Hatter said parents can also download security apps and parental control apps to help keep an eye on their children’s activities. Some internet companies also provide similar options, Hatter said.

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