Another Day, Another Dangerous Social Media Challenge
If you haven’t already, you’ll soon start hearing a lot about the so-called “blackout challenge” that’s causing an uproar on the internet. TikTok has been sued by the families of two young girls who allegedly died due to a viral infection. Families are calling the app’s algorithms “dangerous” and blaming the deaths of their children on the juggernaut of social media.
What is the dimming issue?
The power outage issue is one of the many social media issues that have surfaced in recent years, but it’s not entirely new. Like the ” skull-break challenge “, ” tide pod challenge ” or something like that , this one appeared on social media and caused parents to panic. And like everyone else, this one is stupid and dangerous: people are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out, and even use belts or purse strings to suffocate themselves.
Two things make this issue more prominent than some of its predecessors: it has reportedly killed numerous children since 2021 , and it has a pre-TikTok counterpart. In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a press release warning against the “choke game,” which was essentially the same thing. At least 82 people had died due to the “game” by the time they issued the national alert, according to the CDC.
Why is TikTok being sued?
TikTok is facing multiple lawsuits from parents who claim their children died of suffocation after trying to fix the issue. A spokesperson for the app told The Washington Post that it blocked users from being able to search for the issue. I just tried searching for it myself on the app and “blackout call” automatically appeared in the search bar, but none of the video results showed that someone was actually trying to make the call. However, the problem isn’t that children can potentially search for videos, but that clips are delivered to them via an algorithm.
A TikTok spokesperson told People : “This troubling ‘challenge’ that people seem to hear about from sources other than TikTok has been around long before our platform came along and has never been a TikTok trend. We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and will immediately remove relevant content if found.”
What can parents do?
While the debate about whether social media apps are responsible for dangerous content will continue (and that debate, in particular, will run through the legal system), there are concrete steps parents can take right now to protect children.
Talk to your children frankly and honestly about the dangers of the problem. Work with them on strategies to identify dangerous pranks and trends, such as the word “challenge” or an invitation to participate in a video without knowing what is about to happen, and respond to peer pressure in a comfortable but firm way. Megan Walbert of Lifehacker has some great tips on how to have those conversations here . Remember that digitally-accustomed kids are pretty good at outsmarting parental controls , so don’t count on them to completely deprive kids of seeing something dangerous.