TikTok’s ‘blackout’ challenge linked to deaths of 20 children in 18 months, report says
The IndependentSign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The fatal “blackout challenge” on TikTok has reportedly been linked to the deaths of at least 20 children in the past 18 months. In February 2021, a nine-year-old girl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, choked to death after wrapping a household item around her neck while allegedly trying to perform the blackout challenge, the report said. When reported to the police, an officer wrote in an incident report that the cousin said: “It was a strangulation challenge they saw on TikTok and YouTube.” Bloomberg reported that the lawsuit filed against the video platform by Nylah’s mother cited a forensic analysis of the girl’s phone. “The company unquestionably knew that the deadly blackout challenge was spreading through their app and that their algorithm was specifically feeding the blackout challenge to children, including those who had died,” the complaint read.
History of this topic
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