A viral TikTok challenge is taking the lives of kids in big numbers. The lethal “blackout challenge” asks children to deprive themselves of oxygen by self-choking using belts or any other technique.
Multiple children in America have already died due to the challenge, which is causing chaos among parents.
TikTok Deadly Challenge Goes Viral
Earlier this week, a 14-year-old kid, Leon Brown, died of the blackout challenge, days after the death of a 12-year-old kid, Archie Battersbee, by the same online menace.
Leon’s mother, Lauryn Keating, asserted the TikTok challenge went horribly wrong with her child.
After a police investigation, Keating found out her child died due to a self-strangulation TikTok challenge, which pushes people to cut off their oxygen for the sake of social likes.
Scots teen found dead in bedroom after taking part in viral 'Blackout Challenge' https://t.co/sZGRePpDIH
— LaurynKeating (@LaurynKeating3) September 1, 2022
The challenge specifically asks kids to choke themselves to their limits; so, many kids fall unconscious as oxygen stops reaching their brains.
Even if kids want to open the tightened belts when they are about to go unconscious, their hands do not have enough oxygen to function properly; so, they end up dying.
Keating claimed she was aware of the lethality of the challenge since the news of other kids dying, due to it was going viral.
However, she did not know her own child was involved in this. Later on, Leon’s friends told her mother he even did this challenge in front of them at his school.
TikTok in Damage Control Mode After Multiple Casualties
A challenge is not worth your life, a few likes on social media is not worth your life.
Never ever attempt “blackout challenge”#TikTokviral— Mr. Oak (@MrOak26) September 2, 2022
When Leon tried to strangle himself, he went unconscious and never recovered.
Leon’s mother remembered her son was the happiest boy who used to make his whole class laugh. This could be one of the reasons why his friends thought he was only joking when he choked himself in front of them.
Now, Keating is urging other parents to stop their children before it’s too late. According to the distraught mother, parents should not just assume that their kids will not perform this type of stupid challenge.
Instead, every parent should warn their kids pursuing these challenges is not worth taking their own lives.
After seeing multiple casualties due to this challenge, TikTok also prohibited the distribution of content regarding this challenge. The company advised its users to flag content related to this blackout challenge.
TikTok also issued a statement of sympathy to Leon’s family, noting the platform is trying hard to stop the promotion of these kinds of deadly challenges.
Keating claims TikTok’s statements are not more than eye washers, as she found similar videos on the Chinese-owned app even after her son’s death.
After logging in to the platform and typing the blackout challenge in the search bar, Keating claimed multiple videos of people’s self-strangulation popped up within seconds.
Earlier this year, two Californian girls died after hanging themselves to pursue the same deadly challenge. Parents of those girls are suing TikTok in a California court.
This article appeared in Right Wing Insider and has been published here with permission.
