A 12-year-old UK boy named Sebastian has died after allegedly participating in the dangerous TikTok “blackout challenge,” which hypes a form of self-strangulation by challenging users to see how long they can go holding their breath. It’s sadly claimed the lives of multiple youngsters.
According to a statement by the West Yorkshire Police, authorities had been tipped off by ambulance services about the dire condition of a youth at a house in Castleford on June 27, Yorkshire Live reported.
The boy was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately died shortly thereafter. The coroners are currently probing the deceased’s cause of death, which they don’t believe to be “suspicious” in nature.
On a GoFundMe page launched on behalf of Sebastian’s parents, organizer Agnieszka Czerniejewska said that the boy lost his life due to participation in the “blackout challenge.”
This dangerous game — one of several potentially fatal fads to circulate TikTok — can restrict oxygen to the brain, potentially resulting in seizures, serious injury or death.
In 2022, the Independent reported that at least 20 deaths had been linked to this asphyxiation game in 18 months, with 15 of the victims being just 12 or younger.
Czerniejewska dubbed the youngster’s death a “tragedy beyond words.”
“His parents gave him all the love and care in the world — but that one moment online changed everything,” she wrote on the page, which has garnered over $6,000 in donations at the time of writing.
She described Sebastian as a “boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent.”
“He taught himself to play the guitar and keyboard, and he loved to draw,” lamented the organizer, who is using the incident as a cautionary tale against the perils of online challenges.
“Talk to your children about what they do online,” she implored. “Ask what they watch, who they talk to, what inspires them. Be present. Don’t assume: ‘My child would never do that.’ The online world can be as dangerous as the real one — sometimes even more so.”
Czerniejewska said she wanted to ensure that Sebastian’s passing wasn’t “in vain.”
“Let it be a quiet call for awareness — a reminder to stay close, to talk more, to protect the ones we love,” she declared. “So that other children may live. So that no other parent has to experience this unimaginable pain.”
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