HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — It's a crazy trend all over the Internet right now. Rather than drinking tea, people are smoking it.
"We tried to smoke a tea bag because we saw it on a YouTube," Josiah said.
Josiah is 12 years old. He told Eyewitness News the same thing he told police, the YouTube video about smoking tea popped up while he was watching a music video with his little brother. He said he didn't think it was a drug or that it would get him high, he was just curious. Now he wants other children to know that it's not worth it.
"You can look at it on YouTube all you want, but I advise you to not actually try this, 'cause you can possibly get in trouble, and it can possibly harm you," Josiah said.
He learned that the hard way after his mom came home.
"They tried to light it on the stove, apparently," she said.
She told Eyewitness News she never heard of anyone smoking tea until she came home and found her tea cut open and she smelled smoke. The mother asked not to be identified.
She called police and firefighters, thinking the kids were playing with fire.
She wants other parents to know about the potentially dangerous new trend.
Experts said smoking tea won't get you high, but it can make people lightheaded because the kids are inhaling carbon monoxide.
Josiah said he'll never try it again. His mom hopes other parents learn about smoking tea before their kids try to do it.
WSOC
