12-year-old boy suffered brain death from challenge on TikTok

Blackout Challenge, a game that challenges people to drown until they lose consciousness.

A 12-year-old boy from the state of Colorado (USA) suffered brain death after using a shoelace to perform the Blackout Challenge, a game promoted by the social network TikTok and that challenges people to drown until they lose consciousness.

Joshua Haileyesus, found by his twin brother, passed out on the bathroom floor of their house On March 22, he was declared brain dead, ANSA reported today.

“He’s a fighter. I can see him fight. I pray for him every day,” Joshua’s father Haileyesus Zeryihun said.

“It’s heartbreaking to see him lying on the bed,” continued the father, who added that “I was begging him on the floor (in the bathroom), to give me some time, not to give up. “

The Blackout Challenge is a viral challenge circulating on TikTok for which, on January 21, a 10-year-old Italian girl died of suffocation in the city of Palermo, Sicily, while playing the same game.

Already in December 2020, the Italian personal data regulator accused TikTok of a series of violations, such as the lack of attention to the protection of minors; the ease with which it is possible to circumvent the ban – provided by the same platform – on registering for children under 13; the lack of transparency and clarity in the information provided to users; and the use of default settings that do not respect privacy.