Some TikTok users are sleeping with tape over their mouths after a study resurfaced that claims people swallow an average of 8 spiders per year while they sleep.
Insect phobias are real, but is the spider study fact or fiction?
According to Scientific American, there is no such study that confirms the amount of spiders we swallow at night.
Thoughtco.com reports that “not a single study has been done to quantify the number of spiders people swallow while sleeping.”
Thoughtco.com says anything is possible, but a number of factors would have to occur for a spider to crawl into your mouth while you sleep.
1. You would have to sleep with your mouth wide open without snoring because vibrations warn spiders of danger.
2. The spider would have to crawl across your face without waking you up.
3. The spider would have to launch itself into your mouth and land in the back of your throat without touching the sides of your mouth on the way in.
4. You would have to swallow at the same exact time the spider landed in your throat.
5. Spiders fear humans. They aren’t going to approach the mouth of a predator.
These facts provide little comfort or assurance to kids on TikTok who know that some critters don’t fear humans, such as cockroaches and bedbugs.
Still, experts say it’s important for parents to monitor your child’s online activities. Use basic parental control software to keep your child safe.
Most importantly, delete the TikTok app from your child’s phone.
