Why TikTok\u2019s Blackout challenge is so dangerous and needs to be stopped PixabayWhile TikTok is normally a hub for fun trends and challenges that people can participate in globally, the \u201cblackout challenge\u201d is one that has done far more harm than good. This damaging trend has left Joshua Haileyesus, a 12-year-old boy from Colorado, \u201cbrain-dead\u201d after he tied a shoelace around his neck when attempting the challenge on March 22 and lost consciousness. Joshua is in critical condition in hospital and the family has created a GoFundMe to pay for his medical bills. This isn\u2019t the first time the trend has had serious consequences. In January, a 9-year-old boy\u2019s death in Trinidad was linked to the TikTok challenge. In February, it was linked to the death of a 10-year-old girl in Italy, which prompted the Italian government to block national access to the app unless users were able to prove their age. When the incident in February occurred, TikTok said it was helping authorities in the probe over possible \u201cincitement to suicide.\u201d However, they also said they were unable to identify any content that would have encouraged the girl to participate in a challenge of this kind. What is the blackout challenge? This type of challenge has existed online for years, and frequently changes face on TikTok. It has previously been known as the \u201cPassout Challenge\u201d, \u201cThe Game of Choking\u201d, \u201cSpeed Dreaming\u201d or \u201cThe Fainting Game.\u201d This version of the trend, \u201cthe blackout challenge,\u201d is no different. In this format, it encourages TikTok users to film strangling or choke themselves with household objects until they \u201cblackout.\u201d As an app that is attractive to very young and impressionable kids looking for entertainment while bored in a global health crisis, it is particularly dangerous. While TikTok has an age limit of 13-years-old, it hasn\u2019t stopped children from getting involved. TikTok has since made efforts to curb the damages. When searching for \u201cblackout challenge\u201d on the app in the UK, users are now met with no results and a short paragraph that says \u201cThis phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok\u2019s top priority.\u201d Meanwhile, the page which displays the original hashtag says \u201cPerformance, imitation, or encouragement of dangerous amateur stunts and risky behavior can lead to serious injury or death, is not permitted on TikTok.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why TikTok\u2019s Blackout challenge is so dangerous and needs to be stopped PixabayWhile TikTok is normally a hub for fun trends and challenges that people can participate in globally, the \u201cblackout challenge\u201d is one that has done far more harm than good. This damaging trend has left Joshua Haileyesus, a 12-year-old boy from Colorado, \u201cbrain-dead\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}