![What is the TikTok Blackout Challenge? 7 kids die after trying it What is the TikTok Blackout Challenge? 7 kids die after trying it](https://english.cdn.zeenews.com/sites/default/files/2022/07/08/1062815-tiktok.jpg)
New Delhi: TikTok is known for its reels and viral videos, as well as its forward-thinking mentality. But who knew a fad could be deadly as 7 children under the age of 15 died as a result of the infamous ‘Blackout Challenge’ on the Chinese short video production platform.
According to The Verge, TikTok users are encouraged to “choke themselves with belts, purses or whatever until they pass out.” This had a violent backlash online, with many lawsuits from parents claiming their children died of strangulation while completing the “blackout challenge”. Read more: iPhone 11 and 12 get BUMPER discounts in Flipkart Electronics sale: Check deals here
The parents of eight-year-old Lalani Walton and nine-year-old Arriani Arroyo filed the latest case. READ ALSO: Musk’s $44B Twitter Deal In Serious Trouble: Report
According to multiple sources, a 10-year-old died in Italy in January 2021; a 12-year-old in Colorado, United States, died in March 2021; a 14-year-old in Australia died in June 2021; a 12-year-old in Oklahoma died in July 2021; and another 10-year-old in Pennsylvania died in December 2021.
Tawainna Anderson, the mother of Nylah Anderson, a 10-year-old Pennsylvania child, is also suing TikTok, claiming that the app “promoted extremely and unacceptably dangerous tasks.”
Some cases claimed that when the youngsters watched the films, they were not looking for challenges.
TikTok, on the other hand, “placed it right in front of them on the app’s main screen, the For You tab.”
According to a TikTok spokesperson, this troubling “challenge” that individuals seem to be hearing about from places other than TikTok predates our platform and was never a TikTok fad.
“We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would quickly remove any associated content if discovered. Our hearts go out to the family for their terrible loss.”