According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 10,000 kids under the age of five were exposed to laundry detergent packets.
It's called the Tide POD challenge online, and dozens have filmed themselves biting down on the laundry detergent pods.
But this verify is looking into a tweet which appears to be by the Tide Twitter account and claims the PODS will be discontinued in February 1 due to the PODS challenge.
QUESTION
Are Tide PODS being discontinued after the "Tide POD Challenge"?
SOURCES
Procter & Gamble
Tide Twitter
American Association of Poison Control Centers
WHAT WE FOUND
A closer look from our Verify team found this tweet suspicious. Among the giveaways, you'll notice the image doesn't have a time stamp. Additionally, it does not appear anywhere on Tide's current Twitter feed. And there's the fact that the "tweet" spells pods lowercase when the company always uses all caps.
CONCLUSION
Neither P&G, Tide's parent company, or Tide themselves have said they will be ending the PODS product line and we can verify the tweet being passed around is FALSE.
Although Tide is not discontinuing its PODS, the brand is still dealing with another piece of information circulating on social media.
You might have seen these tweets from folks claiming stores are locking up Tide PODS and similar laundry detergent items because of the "Tide POD Challenge"
QUESTION
Are Tide PODS and other detergent items being locked up by retailers in response to the Tide POD Challenge?
SOURCES
Walmart
Walgreens
WHAT WE FOUND
Both companies tell us stores have been locking up laundry detergent items long before the Tide POD Challenge.
"The decision about which items are subject to additional in-store security is made on a store-by-store basis at the discretion of the store manager," Walmart Senior Manager Corporate Communications Charles Crowson, said.
"These measures were taken to help prevent theft and were unrelated to more recent reports of misuse of the products," Walgreens Spokesperson Jim Graham added.
CONCLUSION
No, the devices and lock boxes are meant to deter shoplifters, and not in response to the dangerous new teenage fad.