“What is actually going on in the brain is a lack of oxygen similar to when someone is drowning, choking, or having a cardiac arrest,” Dr. What is the 'Blackout Challenge'?Īlso referred to as the "choking challenge" or the "pass-out challenge," the "blackout challenge" encourages users to hold their breath until they pass out due to a lack of oxygen, People reported. Read on for all the details behind the deadly challenge and the other lawsuits that TikTok is facing. And Arriani's family isn't the only one taking legal action. “The most important thing is just deadly this TikTok blackout challenge is and how predictable it was,” Bergman told WTMJ. His parents believe Archie took part in the blackout challenge after doctors shared that he was most likely "brain-stem dead," per BBC.
In April 2022, 12-year-old Archie Battersbee was placed on life support at Royal London Hospital in the United Kingdom after being found unconscious by his mother. And many of them are turning to TikTok for answers, including the family of 9-year-old Arriani Arroyo.Īrriani was found dead in February of 2021 after participating in the blackout challenge, and her parents are filing a lawsuit against the social media giant in hopes of keeping other kids safe and avoiding another death, according to the family's attorney Matthew Bergman, per Wisconsin radio station WTMJ. Still, parents are struggling to stay on top of all the challenges that end up on their children's screens. Experts have warned young users not to try the trend, which previously led to more than 80 deaths, per the CDC. The "blackout challenge" has been around since at least 2008, according to People, but it started making the rounds on TikTok again back in 2021. From "dry-scooping" and eating pre-workout powder by itself to climbing on tall stacks of milk crates to removing your own IUD (!), and eating massive amounts of frozen honey and corn syrup, the "blackout challenge" is just the latest in a string of activities that can harm users and even lead to death. TikTok is no stranger to dangerous viral trends.