Explained: The ‘blackout challenge’ on TikTok being blamed for the deaths of several children

TikTok is being sued by the parents of two young girls who died allegedly after participating in the ‘blackout challenge’ on the platform. The challenge, circulating on the video-sharing app, makes a sport of choking oneself until passing out. Parents in their lawsuit have accused TikTok’s algorithm of intentionally promoting the trend to their children. Let’s take a closer look at the ‘blackout challenge’, lawsuits against TikTok and why teens participate in such activities: What is the ‘blackout challenge’? The challenge encourages people to intentionally hold their breath until they pass out due to lack of oxygen. It has also been referred to as the ‘choking challenge’ or the ‘pass-out’ challenge. According to a report by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some form of the challenge has been circulating on the internet since 2008. A study carried out by the CDC suggests that at least 82 young people have died after participation in it. Although the source of the viral trend is not known, a report in The New York Times stated that the challenge came under a spotlight after three children died in Italy last year. Since the challenge involves strangulation, engaging in it could starve the brain of oxygen and hence result in suffocation, as per The Independent. Lawsuits against TikTok According to The Verge, the social media platform has faced multiple lawsuits from parents regarding this particular challenge. The most recent one was filed on Thursday by the parents of two young girls—Lalani Walton and Arriani Arroyo— who alleged that their daughters had died while attempting the ‘blackout challenge’ last year. As per the complaint, Lalani, from Texas, died on 15 July, 2021. Police investigations revealed that the death was a “direct result of attempting TikTok’s ‘blackout challenge’. Similarly, Arriani was found unresponsive by her younger brother on 26 February after which she was rushed to the hospital but soon declared dead. The lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance says “children died of self-strangulation while participating in TikTok’s ‘blackout challenge’, which encourages users to choke themselves with belts, purse strings or other similar items until passing out.” In particular, the “For You” page of TikTok has been held responsible in the lawsuit. The page shows a string of videos that are curated by TikTok based on a user’s demographic, likes and prior activity on the app. The suit claims that the video-sharing platform should have known that its product was “addictive” and that it was delivering children with harmful content. It failed to take appropriate measures to stop the widespread sharing of such videos or warn children and their parents about them. Matthew P Bergman, founding lawyer of the Social Media Victims Law Centre, a law firm that was created to hold social media companies accountable for endangering children’s lives, said, “TikTok needs to be held accountable for pushing deadly content to these two young girls.” The lawsuit has sought unspecified damages from the company. Other children who fell victim to this challenge in the past year include a 10-year-old in Italy, a 12-year-old in Colorado, a 14-year-old in Australia, another 12-year-old in Oklahoma, according to a report in The Times of India. In May, the mother of a young girl named Nylah Anderson sued TikTok on similar grounds. How has TikTok responded? TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, following the death of Nylah, a TikTok spokesperson was quoted by People as saying, “This disturbing ‘challenge’, which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend. We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found.” In an effort to validate their claim that the challenge predates their platform, TikTok’s official statement to The Washington Post has referred to the 2008 CDC study that found 82 children had dead due to the challenge. Another spokesperson expressed the company’s “deepest sympathies for the families’ tragic loss,” according to a report by The Sacramento Bee. Other dangerous challenges TikTok has featured and promoted an array of challenges in which users film themselves taking part in themed acts that are sometimes dangerous. Among the litany of TikTok challenges described in court documents was the “Skull Breaker Challenge” in which people have their legs kicked out from under them while jumping so they flip and hit their heads. The “Coronavirus Challenge” involves licking random items and surfaces in public during the pandemic, and the “Fire Challenge” involves dousing things with flammable liquid and setting them ablaze, court documents said. In the case of the ‘fire challenge’, which dates back to 2014, teenagers would typically pour small amounts of inflammables on their bodies and set it on fire while recording the entire ordeal.

 Last month, two Indonesian teens died due to the ‘angel of death’ challenge which requires people to jump in front of moving trucks to make online content. According to SINDOnews, as many as 14 teens were suspected to have participated in this challenge.

In 2018, the idea of consuming Tide Pods became an internet fad which involved biting or swallowing Tide Pods. Why do teens participate in such challenges? According to an article on Health, a survey by the Oregon Public Health Division found that teens who are at mental health risk or are found to engage in substance abuse, are more susceptible to take part in such challenges. Also, children who tend to engage in attention-seeking behaviour may be at greater risk of trying these challenges, as per the report. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.