Warning Issued After Teens Eat Laundry Pods for Internet Challenge [VIDEO]

It's called the 'Tide Pod Challenge' and doctors are warning parents that the latest social media 'craze' is sending people to the hospital.

It started with online memes showing detergent pods as pizza toppings and in a cereal bowl, complete with bleach used as a substitute for milk. Now teens are posting videos of themselves and friends biting into the pods, and in some cases challenging friends to do the same.

Dr. Frank LoVecchio tells KNXV-TV that not only can the liquid inside the pods burn the lips and esophagus but the pod itself can be dangerous.

“The membrane around it, when it dissolves, can cause central nervous system depression causing people to become sleepy or fatigued."