YouTube is cracking down on videos showing people eating Tide Pods. Because this is apparently a thing now. Tide Pods are little plastic capsules of laundry detergent, and shouldn't be consumed under any circumstances. Unfortunately, YouTubers think they're somehow immune from danger.

If we learned one lesson from the internet recently it's that YouTubers will do anything for views. Logan Paul is the prime example, leading to YouTube changing its rules, but there's also that guy who cemented his head into a microwave oven. And now people idiots are eating Tide Pods.

From Ice Buckets to Tide Pods

We all remember the Ice Bucket Challenge which saw people dumping a bucket full of ice-cold water over their heads. That was a positive thing, raising money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) charities. Unfortunately, the Tide Pod Challenge is the complete opposite.

The idiots taking part are basically consuming a Tide Pod full of laundry detergent. They're filming themselves doing it, and then posting the video online. No money is going to charity, instead, this is being done purely to gain views and notoriety for the uploader.

Once the Tide Pod Challenge gained momentum, Tide acted quickly to dissuade people from eating its product. And seeing as the contents are potentially harmful when consumed, with good reason. And now YouTube has weighed in, promising to take down Tide Pod Challenge videos.

The video platform issued a statement, telling Fast Company, "YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit content that’s intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm. We work to quickly remove flagged videos that violate our policies."

Please Don't Eat Detergent

It should go without saying that you shouldn't eat laundry detergent, whether Tide or any other brand. And while adults are free to make their own choices in life, posting the videos to YouTube means potentially placing them in front of the eyes of children. Which cannot be tolerated.

Have you seen any YouTube videos of people eating Tide Pods? If so, did you report it for violating YouTube's guidelines? Is there anything YouTubers won't do for views these days? Does YouTube need to do more to tackle these trends? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Van Johnson Photography via Flickr