A TikTok user who works as a delivery driver has sparked a debate among parents after claiming that children’s daycares order large quantities of melatonin gummies.
Melatonin is a hormone that the body naturally produces to help regulate the sleep-wake cycle. However, it is often used as a dietary supplement to treat insomnia or jet lag.
In a video posted by @collectivetraumacorgi on Dec. 30, the delivery driver issues a concerning PSA.
He says, “So one of the weirdest things that I’ve learned about being a personal shopper slash delivery driver over the past few months is: Children’s daycares order an obscene amount of melatonin gummies.
“If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford daycare for your children because you’re in a working household, you know, any pediatrician slash doctor can do a urine or saliva test for excess melatonin levels. You might want to consider it because I’m kind of shocked and appalled,” he adds.
According an article by the Sleep Foundation, “there is little research on the long-term effects of melatonin use in children. Some experts question if melatonin, because it is a hormone, can affect other hormonal development in adolescents.”
The article further states the potential side effects to children like increased bedwetting, daytime sleepiness, headaches, and restlessness.
@collectivetraumacorgi’s video has since gone viral accumulating over 230,400 views, with many viewers going to the comment section to express their concern about the possibility that daycares are giving melatonin to children without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
“It’s good that you planted this seed. Most parents wouldn’t have thought about this possibility,” one commenter wrote.
“This is why I trust my child with absolutely no one but me,” a concerned parent said.
“My daughter’s daycare was forcing the children to take three hour naps during the day so this doesn’t surprise me at all,” another claimed.
@collectivetraumacorgi #delivery #daycare ♬ original sound – Moses’ Dad
If proven true, this would not be an isolated incident of melatonin gummy bear use in daycares. In 2018, CBS News Chicago reported that three daycare workers were arrested for allegedly giving melatonin-laced gummy bears to 2-year-olds before nap time.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @collectivetraumacorgi via TikTok direct messages for comment.