What is TikTok Blackout Challenge? 7 kids die after trying it out, parents sue company

New Delhi: TikTok is well-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, purse ties, or anything similar until passing out." This had a severe backlash on the internet, with many lawsuits filed by parents claiming their children died of strangulation while undertaking the "blackout challenge."

The parents of eight-year-old Lalani Walton and nine-year-old Arriani Arroyo filed the most recent case.

According to several sources, a 10-year-old in Italy died in January 2021; a 12-year-old in Colorado in the 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 child from Pennsylvania, is also suing TikTok, claiming that the app "pushed extremely and unacceptably dangerous tasks."

Some cases claimed that when the youngsters saw 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 spokesman, this unsettling "challenge," which individuals appear to hear about from places other than TikTok, predates our platform and was never a TikTok fad.

"We stay attentive in our commitment to user safety and would remove any connected content quickly if discovered. Our hearts go out to the family for their awful loss "according to a company spokeswoman.