A 14-year-old boy has reportedly died after participating in a dangerous social media stunt that forces children to hold their breath until they pass out.
Leon Browne, from Camberno in Scotland, died on August 25 after being found unconscious in his bedroom, his mother Lauryn Keating told local media.
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A stunt known as the “blackout challenge” is also believed to have led to the death of 12-year-old Essex Archie Battersby last month.
Battersby was also found unconscious before being declared brain dead and his family lost a legal battle to the Royal London Hospital to keep him on life support.
Keating spoke to the Scottish Daily Record, saying that one of Leon’s friends said he tried the challenge after seeing it on TikTok.
“My Leon thought he would be the one to try it first. He and his friends probably thought it was a laugh and a joke,” Keating said.
“One of the kids he Facetimed told me what he did.
“She said they thought they would wake up. But Leon did not return.
“Everything went terribly wrong.”
The mother said she shared her story to save the lives of other children and also called on TikTok to do more to prevent this behavior.
The ordeal is also believed to have claimed the lives of 10-year-old Niyla Anderson and 12-year-old Joshua Heilisus, both from the United States.
Joshua’s father, Haileyesus Zerichun, said that a few days before his son was found unconscious, he bragged to his brother that he could hold his breath for a minute.
“Unbeknownst to his parents, Joshua played this dangerous game, completely unaware of the risks involved,” says a GoFundMe page set up for his family.
In March, a 14-year-old boy from Queensland told 7NEWS that he entered the competition after seeing his friends do it.
But the teenager vowed never to do that again after one of his friends ended up in the hospital.
“I was a little afraid for him, worried,” he said.
