Frozen Gummy Bears Are Trending on TikTok, But Why? - Newsweek

Frozen gummy bears are trending on TikTok, with hundreds of videos flooding users' feeds of people biting into cold, colorful candies—but a dental nurse told Newsweek the trend could be harmful.

One video that has gone particularly viral is Kat Chao's contribution to the trend, which has received nearly 45 million views and 3.8 million likes in just one week.

Chao's video—on her channel @katchaomeow—follows much the same pattern as others. It starts with her crisply biting into a few large frozen gummy bears, and then she demonstrates how to make them.

First, she pours soda into a container. Chao uses 7up, but other versions have used Sprite, cola, Japanese cider, root beer, and even vodka.

Gummy bears—and similar gummy candies—are added to the drink, and then put in a fridge overnight, during which time they swell, absorbing liquid until they're much bigger and softer than before.

These slippery candies are then put in the freezer for three hours or more—after which, the frozen gummy bears are ready to try.

It is the sound of the bite which seems to be the point of all this, frozen but slightly chewy.

One of the commenters on Chao's video said: "My sensitive teeth could never"—and nearly 27,000 people on the app liked the comment in agreement.

But that cold, crisp, smooth bite seems to be much of why the trend has taken off; as well as because it is a relatively easy thing to try on a cheap, colorful, sweet food.

Many of the people participating make ASMR content. ASMR stands for "autonomous sensory meridian response" and refers to a tingly sensation that some people get when listening to certain sounds.

Food ASMR videos focus on mouth noises, where content creators get close to their microphones to record the sounds of chewing in vivid clarity.

Some people enjoy these sounds, and the very particular sound of people eating these frozen gummy bears seems to trigger an ASMR reaction for them.

Content creators who have tried the trend have admitted the taste is a bit disappointing.

However, dental nurse Karen Coates told Newsweek that frozen gummies sounded "quite dangerous" for dental health.

"The sugar content is concerning," she said. "If you are using a full-fat drink and then adding candy to it, it's just sugar on sugar.

"You would be better off making your own ice pop from diluted cordial if you wanted something sweet and frozen."

Coates said that there could be five or six teaspoons of sugar in a can of soda, and people trying the trend could be consuming a similar amount from the gummy bears.

"As an adult, the maximum amount of sugar you should be having per day is around seven teaspoons," she said. "In this trend, you will very quickly overdo the amount of sugar you should consume."

And Coates echoed the commenters' concern about teeth sensitivity, saying it could cause some pain among some people.

"If it's too hard, [the gummies] could fracture teeth or even damage gums, causing problems," she said.

Coates told Newsweek that she wouldn't try the trend herself, and said that if she wanted something cold, she would choose something with less sugar, natural sugars, or fruit.

"At the end of the day, it's really empty calories and has no nutritional value," said Coates. "It could potentially cause dental decay."

Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that's worrying you? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.