Iowa Schools Warn of the Viral ‘One Chip Challenge’

The 'One Chip Challenge' created by the Paqui tortilla chip brand has been around since 2016, but it's really caught fire (no pun intended) on TikTok this year.

If you're unfamiliar, the goal is to eat an extremely spicy chip that comes in a solo package and see how long one can last without eating or drinking anything else. The chip company encourages those who partake to post a video of their attempt online and share the 'level' they're able to reach.

The Paqui website says those that last a minute are 'Powerless,' ten minutes are 'Powerful,' 30 minutes are 'Supercharged,' and those that last an hour are 'Invincible.'

Some may recognize one of the iterations of the chip from when Shaquille O'Neal gave it a try on national television:

The trend has gotten big enough to reach Iowa, specifically our schools.

And shocker, kids aren't handling it well.

Just this morning, Urbandale schools sent out a letter to parents saying that there's been an uptick in students visiting the school nurse due to the challenge. Per KCCI, "The school says students who've eaten them have suffered stomach problems, mouth pain, and even eye irritation, so they're asking parents to convince their kids not to try it."

Yesterday, Liberty Elementary School in Sioux City announced a ban on the challenge, citing the ingredients in this year's chip. According to Paqui, this year's chip contains "the super-charged Carolina Reaper Pepper and stinging Scorpion Pepper with a shocking twist, it'll turn your tongue BLUE!"

Considering there's a warning on the website for anyone who is considering trying the chip -- let alone children -- it shouldn't be a surprise that schools are taking action to stop the trend.

This is what the warning states on the Paqui website: "DO NOT EAT IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO SPICY FOODS, ALLERGIC TO PEPPERS, NIGHTSHADES OR CAPSAICIN, OR ARE PREGNANT OR HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. AFTER TOUCHING THE CHIP, WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES OR OTHER SENSITIVE AREAS. SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE SHOULD YOU EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY BREATHING, FAINTING OR EXTENDED NAUSEA."

Here's a compilation of some NSFW viral TikToks: