12-year-old boy dies after choking himself in TikTok ‘Blackout Challenge’

According to his mother, Taylor Davis, 12-year Tristan Casson has unfortunately met his demise while playing the deadly Blackout Challenge.

The Blackout Challenge instructs players to hold their breath until they become light-headed or pass out.

Cleaveland.com reports that an unconscious Tristan Casson was found by his brothers in his bedroom and was taken to a nearby hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead. According to Richmond Heights Police Chief Thomas Wetzel, who expressed condolences to the boy’s family, the incident is being investigated.

Tayor Davis maintained that her son was not suicidal as she blamed the viral TikTok challenge for Tristan’s strangulation death. She added that she usually checked her son’s phone history, but he had deleted it a day before he died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report in 2008 stating that 82 young people died from the choking game. This game required people to intentionally choke themselves or others to achieve a temporary euphoric state.

The Blackout Challenge is suspected to be the modified version of the choking game. According to recent Bloomberg Businessweek reporting, at least 15 children aged 12 and under in the last 18 months have died from the Blackout Challenge.