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Blackout, the deadly TikTok trend that endangers minors

Shkruar nga Anabel

22 Nëntor 2021

Blackout, the deadly TikTok trend that endangers minors

The dangerous trend known as Blackout is at the center of discussions, after a shocking event in Lushnje, where a 13-year-old was found hanged in the bedroom.

Although the event is still unresolved, the possibility of realizing a dangerous "challenge" has not been ruled out.

What is the Blackout challenge?

The dangerous trend requires users to kill themselves until they lose consciousness and wake up a few moments later. It is easy to understand why this is a bad idea.

The trend can cause fainting, brain damage and convulsions even when it is not fatal, according to experts. The trend has proved fatal for some juveniles.

"What is actually happening in the brain is a lack of oxygen similar to cases where someone drowns or has a cardiac arrest," Dr Nick Flynn told the Irish Examiner. "If you have little oxygen in the brain for more than three minutes, you can damage the brain and if you have low oxygen in the brain for more than five minutes, it can result in death."

How has TikTok responded to the Blackout Challenge?

"We do not allow content that encourages, promotes or glorifies risky behaviors that could lead to injury, and our teams work diligently to identify and remove content that violates our policies," TikTok told Newsweek. "While we have not currently found evidence of content on our platform that may have encouraged such an off-platform incident, we will continue to monitor closely as part of our ongoing commitment to keeping our community safe."