Various challenges spread across social media platforms, attracting countless young people to compete to imitate and try them out. Some are harmless, like dancing routines, and some can be incredibly dangerous. Among these, the “blackout challenge” has garnered significant attention due to its severe and often tragic consequences.
This article aims to provide parents with a comprehensive understanding of this alarming trend, its risks, and practical strategies to protect their children, fostering a safer online environment from such online threats.
What is the blackout challenge?
The blackout challenge is a dangerous viral trend on TikTok in which participants engage in self-strangulation with household items such as a belt, rope, or scarf. Their goal is to achieve a temporary feeling of euphoria or “high.”
Young users often post videos of themselves attempting to do this to increase views and likes.
Many participants believe they can safely control the process before they lose consciousness. However, they never realize that the brain could end up becoming irreparably damaged within minutes of oxygen deprivation.
Loss of consciousness occurs quicker than most kids think. This leads to a deadly situation with no possibility for self-rescue.
Tragically, the challenge has been linked to multiple children’s deaths across the world. There have also been many ongoing lawsuits filed against TikTok for showing such deadly challenges through its algorithm.
Key slang terms about the TikTok blackout challenge
The blackout challenge is known by several names on social media. Understanding the language surrounding this dangerous trend helps parents identify potential involvement.
Here are some major slang words that have been commonly associated with the blackout challenge and trends like it:
| Terms | What it is |
| Pass-out challenge | Participants choke themselves until they lose consciousness. |
| Choking game | An old name used before TikTok, where it urges breath restriction until blackout. |
| Fainting challenge | A misleading phrase to minimize the real danger that was involved. |
| Speed dreaming challenge | A newer, more obscure term that emerged on social media describes the challenge. |
| Space monkey | Playfully coded to mask the danger of being deprived of oxygen. |
| Scarf challenge | Alludes to using scarves or a belt for choking. |
Parents and educators should listen for these phrases, as children may use them to discuss or search for the blackout challenge without coming out and naming it.
Viral doesn’t mean safe. Protect your kids with education and parental controls.
Dangers of the blackout challenge
The blackout challenge has very serious and often deadly physical risks. These dangers stem from the brain being starved of its much-needed oxygen and blood flow, which can cause permanent damage and death.
Physical damages:
- Brain damage and cerebral hypoxia: Lack of oxygen causes the brain cells to die quickly. Permanent damage to the brain may occur in as little as four minutes of no oxygen.
- Death: Many victims die alone due to asphyxiation, unable either to recover consciousness or remove a ligature.
- Seizures: The loss of oxygen to the brain may suddenly cause the onset of violent, immediate seizures. These can also result in physical injury or death.
- Cardiac arrest: The stress imposed on the body by the challenge can cause the heart to cease beating. This can lead to immediate and sudden cardiac arrest.
- Stroke and blood vessels are damaged: Restricted blood flow can result in damage to the major blood vessels of the neck. This may lead to a blood clot or stroke.
- Uncontrolled falls and secondary injuries: When one loses consciousness, they lose full control of their muscles. This often leads to concussions, broken bones, or severe head trauma from falling.
The blackout challenge has claimed many young lives in several different countries.
In 2021, 10-year-old Nyla Anderson from Pennsylvania died after trying out the challenge in her bedroom. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform’s algorithm of promoting dangerous content to children.
Bloomberg Businessweek reported that around 20 children have died in an eighteen-month period (2021-2022) after apparently attempting this challenge.
Mental health impacts:
Beyond physical dangers, the blackout challenge causes tremendous psychological trauma for multiple parties involved.
Participants who survive often suffer from post-traumatic stress from their near-death experiences. They may develop anxiety disorders, and they may struggle with guilt over what they did.
Witnesses experience their own mental health problems after watching their friends or siblings get hurt.
Children who find the unconscious victims often need extended counseling and support. The traumatic images can cause nightmares or permanent emotional disturbance.
Is the dangerous blackout challenge still popular?
Unfortunately, the blackout challenge continues to circulate despite heightened awareness and platform interventions. Its peak visibility has diminished; however, the trend resurfaces periodically with renewed interest.
Although TikTok and others block known blackout challenge videos, coded language and private groups make full removal difficult.
However, identifying and removing all such content is a big challenge. Users may use new slang, misspellings, or use coded language to get around moderation filters.
Content is also often shared via direct messages or smaller, private groups and this makes platform-wide detection extremely difficult. Therefore, the constant evolution of dangerous online trends requires constant effort and vigilance.
Why do teens engage in dangerous online challenges?
Multiple psychological and social factors combine to make these trends attractive to the youthful mind. Some of these factors include.
Peer pressure and influence
The need to belong and to be accepted is very powerful during the teenage years. Participating in a challenge, including a deadly challenge, can be interpreted as a ticket to social validation.
It is a show of bravery or willingness to be “in the know” among friends. The need for peer approval often overrides the fear of physical harm.
Curiosity and thrill-seeking
Many teens are hardwired to be sensation seekers. Risky challenges provide a quick, intense rush of adrenaline and excitement. They want to experience the “wow factor” and see what happens, discounting the possibility of grave injury.
Misinformation and a lack of awareness of risks
In the fast-moving digital world, dangerous challenges are usually disguised as “fun” or “harmless dares.” Many young people involved do not fully understand the gravity of such dangerous attempts.
They may feel the risk is minimal or controllable, especially if they see others online who have survived it. The viral nature of the content normalizes the dangerous activity.
Algorithmic recommendation
The way that social media platforms are designed also contributes to the problem. Algorithms are optimized in order to increase engagement and screen time.
If a teen engages with risky content, the algorithm may inadvertently push more extreme related content into their feed. This results in a dangerous loop, which can lead to a vulnerable user being fed with videos promoting the blackout challenge or similar harmful trends.
Seeking attention and validation
Social Media rewards outrageous or extreme behavior with likes, comments, and shares. For teenagers seeking social recognition or validation, doing something shocking can be a quick way to gain attention. The prospect of getting viral fame, even if only for a short while, can be a great motivator.
Other dangerous viral challenges parents should know
The blackout challenge is just one example of the dangers of the dynamic internet. Dangerous viral challenges are always emerging and never stop evolving on social media platforms. Here are some of the noteworthy dangerous viral challenges.
- Tide Pod challenge. Teens record themselves taking a bite out of laundry detergent pods, resulting in chemical burns, poisoning and breathing problems.
- Benadryl challenge. Involves overdosing on allergy meds for hallucinations, causing seizures, heart problems, and death.
- Skull breaker challenge. Two people trip a third person mid-jump for head trauma, which could lead to concussions.
- Salt and ice challenge. Participants would put salt on their skin and then ice to make their skin burn. The chemical reaction can cause second and third-degree frostbite.
- Chroming. Teens inhale volatile substances such as aerosols or gasoline fumes to get high. This resulted in sudden cardiac death, brain damage, or suffocation.
The pace at which dangerous trends evolve is so rapid that new challenges emerge before parents are aware. Staying informed about the social media landscape and open communication with children is essential.
What can parents do about the deadly blackout challenges?
Protecting children from the blackout challenge or other dangerous TikTok challenges requires being proactive, not reactive. Parents need to apply multi-layered protective measures that include a combination of open communication, education, and digital oversight.
Open communication and education
The most important step is building a close family relationship based on trust.
Talk early and often. Have non-judgmental, open conversations about online dangers, including the blackout challenge. Frame it as a matter of safety, not rebellion.
Explain the science. Use simple terms to explain the tragic damage that the absence of oxygen does to the brain. Ensure you emphasize that there is no safe way to attempt this challenge.
Empower them to learn critical thinking. Teach your child how to resist peer pressure and refuse any risky or uncomfortable circumstances, even when others are egging them on. Encourage them to report any such content they encounter.
Recognizing the warning signs
Heightened parental vigilance includes monitoring for physical and behavioral changes.
Physical indicators. Look for signs of marks or bruising on or around the neck. The child may also complain of severe headaches or have a raspy and hoarse voice.
Behavioral clues. Detected signs of confusion or disorientation after being alone. Look for the presence of belts, ropes, scarves, or other ligatures that are tied to furniture in unusual places.
Monitoring online activity and social interaction
Understanding a child’s digital world is key to prevention. Know what apps your child is using, and follow their accounts where possible. This helps you to understand what online trends your children may seek.
Set clear boundaries and family rules for screen time and content accessing. Require your children to ask before attempting any type of viral challenges.
Utilizing parental control apps
Technology-based parental control solutions will offer extra levels of protection to support direct supervision and communication.
FlashGet Kids is one such parental control app that stands out for helping parents manage the digital exposure while teaching the kids how to responsibly use technology.
The app offers robust features to safeguard kids from exposure to harmful content, like the blackout challenge. Some of these features include.
- Keywords detection. This feature can alert parents to risky keywords or phrases in text or searching. This helps identify conversations related to the blackout challenge or similar dares.
- App blocker. Parents can block certain social media apps known to be hotbeds of dangerous trends. This helps to enforce usage rules for high-risk applications.
- Screen mirroring. Parents can monitor their child’s device screen in real-time. This is important to catch subtle, disguised elements related to viral challenges that filters may not catch.
- Daily usage. Parents can receive daily reports on which apps their child uses and for how long. This helps identify unusual spikes in activity on risky platforms.
With smart digital applications, such as FlashGet Kids, parents can significantly reduce the likelihood of their children succumbing to the deadly blackout challenge.
Final words
The blackout challenge is a harsh reminder of the dark side of social media and its potential consequences. Parents cannot afford to be complacent about keeping children safe from these looming digital risks. Vigilance, education, open communication and digital oversight are the best defense you have against such dangerous viral trends of today.
