DEADLY

Oklahoma Boy Found Dead After Attempting TikTok ‘Blackout Challenge’

The boy was found Monday night with marks on his neck, authorities said.

A boy in Bethany, Oklahoma, was found dead Monday after apparently attempting the so-called “Blackout Challenge” seen on TikTok, KOKH reports. The boy, whose name and age have not been released, was found unconscious Monday night with multiple marks around his neck. Authorities brought him to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:50 a.m. Tuesday. “Now more than ever due to the lockdowns, kids are bored and looking to occupy their time,” Bethany police said in a statement. “Social media is a very influential part of a child’s life and should be heavily scrutinized by parents.”

They blamed the death on the social media trend, which encourages people to choke themselves to lose consciousness. A boy in Massachusetts died in similar circumstances last month after attempting the social media challenge, and a Colorado boy fell victim to the trend in April. TikTok condemned the “challenge” earlier this year after a 10-year-old girl in Italy died after performing it. “We do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous behavior that might lead to injury, and our teams work diligently to identify and remove content that violates our policies,” it said in a January statement to Newsweek.