TikTok challenge claims life of young Scottish boy
By Katherine Rosenius
Warning: Do not try any of the ‘TikTok Challenges’ mentioned in this article.
A viral social media challenge has shockingly claimed the life of Scottish teen in north Lanarkshire.
TikTok is a video hosting platform where users can submit video content. The platform hosts a variety of content, ranging from pranks stunts, and tricks to jokes, music, and dances. It has become clear that TikTok and its challenges and trends are not always as harmless and fun as they seem. Some of the challenges going around are incredibly dangerous and should not be tried out.
Leon Brown, 14, from Cumbernauld tragically passed away following an attempt at the viral ´Blackout Challenge’. His body was discovered by his mother, who has since spoken out to warn other parents about the dangers of social media and the ‘game’ which took her sons life.
Leon Brown(14). Image via Daily Record
Lauryn Brown, 30, recalling the awful moment said; “One of Leon’s friends told me he had been doing the challenge on FaceTime with them after seeing it on TikTok. My Leon thought he would be the one to try it first.
“Him and his friends probably thought it was a laugh and a joke. One of the kids who he was on FaceTime with told me what he had done. She said they thought they would wake up. But Leon didn’t come back around.
“It went horribly wrong. I had heard of this challenge, because of what happened to Archie Battersbee. They aren’t worth ‘likes’ or whatever they are doing it for.”
A spokesperson for TikTok released a statement saying, “Our deepest sympathies go out to Leon Brown’s family during this incredibly difficult time. The safety of our community is our priority and we take any claim about a dangerous challenge very seriously. Content of this nature is prohibited on our platform and would be removed if found.”
The blackout challenge sees users holding their breath until they pass out from lack of oxygen. Because of the TikTok trend, we are not only seeing people do this to themselves, but also doing it with and to their friends.
Image via Cafe Mom
Dr Nick Flynn, a GP in Cork, warns that the risks associated with the challenge includes fainting, oxygen deprivation in brain, seizures, brain damage and in the worst case, death.
Doctor Flynn explained to the Irish Examiner, “In performing the pass out challenge they are mimicking suffocation. They are stopping the chest muscle from moving, which stops the chest from working and can´t get oxygen to the brain. The brain is then starved of oxygen and the person loses consciousness”
According to the magazine People, this challenge has been around since 2008 but resurfaced on TikTok in 2021. Experts have warned young users not to try this trend.
The blackout challenge, however, is not the only one who could put the youths’ lives at risk.
Countless new challenges come out every day and it is important for parents, kids, and teens to be warned whenever a potentially dangerous trend is released or ´trending´.