Another child has died after attempting the deadly online “blackout challenge” accused of killing multiple teenagers. 14-year-old Leon Brown dies just weeks later my friend Brit Archie Battersbee, 12, died – allegedly due to the same viral threat.
“It went horribly wrong,” said Lauryn Keating, a 30-year-old Scottish mother. told the Daily Record From the horrific incident that occurred after he found his son Leon unresponsive in his room in their home in Cumbernauld, England, in August. 25.
“We became aware of the sudden death of a 14-year-old boy at Ochilview Court in Cumbernauld at around 8 am on Thursday, August 25, 2022,” a police spokesperson said in a statement on the tragedy. “There is no suspicious circumstance surrounding his death.”
Keating later learned that his son had participated in the viral fainting challenge. deadly ambitions Getting it circulated through TikTok, which features a form of self-choking by challenging users to see how long they can hold their breath. This sometimes dangerous game can restrict oxygen to the brain, potentially causing seizures, serious injury or death.
Remembering her fateful day, the distraught mom said, “One of Leon’s friends said he challenged them on Facetime after seeing it on TikTok.” “I heard about this challenge because of what happened to Archie Battersbee.”
“My Leon thought he would be the first to try it. He and his friends probably thought it was a laugh and a joke.”
However, Brown’s attempt backfired horribly after he lost consciousness and never recovered. “[A friend] They said they thought they’d wake up,” Keating grieved. “But Leon didn’t come back.”
The grieving parent described her late pride and joy as “the happiest, funniest little boy ever” and added that she’s a “class clown” who “loves to make people laugh”.
“Everything was always a joke and continued for Leon. He was just a bit of a cheeky kid. But he meant a lot to me.”
Now, Keating uses his son’s tragic death as a cautionary tale to prevent other teens from suffering the same fate.
“You just don’t expect your own child to do it,” said Scottish. “Please warn them, these online challenges are not worth their lives.”
Keating, who recently held a farewell ceremony in his son’s honor, added, “They’re not worth liking or whatever they’re doing.”
A soccer jersey signed by his friends was mounted on railings at a local park, while Brown’s friends and family dropped balloons to celebrate the youth’s memory, the Daily Record reported. Meanwhile, your loved ones have created a GoFundMe page. Help Brown’s family in this difficult time.
Following the horrific incident, TikTok offered its condolences to the Keating family and wrote: “Our deepest condolences to the family of Leon Brown at this incredibly difficult time. The safety of our community is our priority, and we take any allegations of a dangerous challenge very seriously.”
The Chinese video platform added that it currently bans “such” content and will remove it if found. Meanwhile, TikTok users encouraged to mark Challenge by clicking on the icon that says “Report”.
Despite its measures to limit the blackout problem, the app is reportedly loaded with images showing potentially deadly fashion. “I went to TikTok and typed words similar to the blackout challenge,” Keating said. “The amount of video results that pop up on top of that is ridiculous.”
There have also been a number of teen deaths linked to the stunt, including the tragic incident involving Archie Battersbee in August. Like Leon, 12-year-old Brit was found unconscious at her Essex home in April after allegedly participating in a fainting struggle, the Daily Record reported. Battersbee reportedly suffered “catastrophic brain damage” and was placed on life support, but died in August. 6 After his family lost a tough legal battle to pursue life-saving treatment.
By the way, on this side of the pond TikTok facing wrongful death lawsuits after two California girls fatally hang themselves after watching videos of “blackout challenge” on the platform.
The lawsuit states, “TikTok has invested billions of dollars in deliberately designing and developing its product to promote, enable, and force content that the accused knows is problematic and is extremely harmful to the mental health of its younger users,” said the lawsuit.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment from The Post. But he has in the past denied responsibility, saying that “choking play” injuries from teenagers are much older than struggling to faint.
