A 10-year-old girl died from the “Blackout Challenge,” which has been circulated on social media networks.
Nyla Anderson was found in her home on Dec. 12 after allegedly trying the challenge, which encourages participants to hold their breath until they pass out from a lack of oxygen.
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The 10-year-old was taken to Nemours Children’s Hospital but did not survive.
“I’m so hurt,” her mother, Tawainna Anderson shared with the news station. “This is a pain that won’t go away. It’s at the top of my throat. I am so hurt.”
The “Blackout Challenge” is sometimes referred to as the “Choking Challenge” or “Pass-out Challenge” and has been happening since 2008, when 82 children died as a result of the game, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
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This year, at least three other children — Joshua Haileyesus, 12, and Robert Craig, 10, and LaTerius Smith Jr., 9 — have reportedly died after attempting the game.
“You wouldn’t think 10-year-olds would try this,” Anderson told WPVI. “They’re trying because they’re kids and they don’t know better.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to pay for Nyla’s funeral and has since raised over $6K. The GoFundMe stated: “An absolutely heartbreaking and devastating loss for this family. If we could come together as a community to help at least pay for the funeral, it would remove a slight burden from this suffering family. Thank you for any contribution you can make.”
And while Anderson did not publicly name the social media platform, TikTok, as the place where Nyla came across the challenge — the company said they were remaining “vigilant” toward any unsafe content that could be seen by users.
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“This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend,” a spokesperson said. “We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found.”
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss,” they continued. Anderson hopes that by sharing her daughter’s story, she can inspire other parents to take a closer look at their children’s social media activities.
“Make sure you check your kids’ phones,” Anderson told WPVI. “You never know what you might find on their phones.”
“She was a butterfly,” she added of Nyla. “She was everything. She was a happy child.”