The blackout challenge is an internet challenge based around the choking game, which deprives the brain of oxygen. [1] It gained widespread attention on TikTok in 2021, primarily among children. [2] It has been compared to other online challenges and hoaxes that have exclusively targeted a young audience. [3] It has been linked to the deaths of at least twenty children. [4]
The concept of choking games has existed from before the popularisation of social media. [5] A 2008 CDC report identified 82 "probable choking-game deaths" between young people aged 6 to 19 between 1995 and 2007. [6]
Time magazine reported in 2018 that social media platforms made information about the concept more widespread, leading more children to attempt it alone rather than with others. [3] [7] In 2019, internet challenges that involved self-harm, such as the "Momo" and "Blue Whale" challenges, created widespread coverage online for allegedly encouraging children to attempt suicide. [8] [9] The Atlantic reported that both were ultimately hoaxes that used local news reporting and concerned online posts to spread the challenges, which never became prevalent online. [10]
The Washington Post reported that TikTok chose to block search results for the challenge and related terms, instead presenting a warning message. [11] The challenge has resulted in the deaths of between fifteen and twenty children. [1] [4] Several lawsuits have been filed against TikTok for allegedly causing the deaths of children who have attempted it, though all have ended up in dismissals based on legal immunity. [12] [13] [14]
Paul Diamond, a district judge in Philadelphia, ruled that the company was immune from a lawsuit under the Communications Decency Act and Section 230, which prevents liability based on the work of others. [15] [16]
The choking game, or fainting game is the act of intentionally cutting off oxygen to the brain with the goal of inducing temporary loss of consciousness and euphoria. A related internet challenge, the blackout challenge, encourages the use of the choking game online.
Omegle was a free, web-based online chat service that allowed users to socialize with others without the need to register. The service randomly paired users in one-on-one chat sessions where they could chat anonymously. It operated from 2009 to 2023.
Internet Matters is a not-for-profit organisation based in London, England. Launched in May 2014 by the United Kingdom's largest internet service providers BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, the organisation offers child internet safety advice to parents, careers and professionals.
"Blue Whale", also known as the "Blue Whale Challenge", is a social network phenomenon dating from 2016 that is claimed to exist in several countries. It is a "game" reportedly consisting of a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators over a 50-day period, initially innocuous before introducing elements of self-harm and the final challenge requiring the player to kill themselves.
ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing and incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
Brendan Thomas Carr is an American lawyer who has served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since 2017. Appointed to the position by Donald Trump, Carr previously served as the agency's general counsel and as an aide to FCC commissioner Ajit Pai. In private practice, Carr formerly worked as a telecommunications attorney at Wiley Rein.
The 2017–2018 United States flu season lasted from late 2017 through early 2018. The predominant strain of influenza was H3N2. During the spring months of March–May, influenza B virus became dominant.
TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed with a smart phone app.
The "Momo Challenge" was a hoax and an internet urban legend that was rumoured to spread through social media and other outlets. It was reported that children and adolescents were being harassed by a user named Momo to perform a series of dangerous tasks including violent attacks, self-harm, harming others, and suicide. Despite claims that the phenomenon had reached worldwide proportions in July 2018, the number of actual complaints was relatively small and many law enforcement agencies have not been able to confirm that anyone was harmed as a direct result of it. Moreover, the Momo Challenge sparked global panic and prompted urgent warnings from authorities and child safety advocates. Reports of children encountering Momo's disturbing messages circulated widely, causing heightened fears among parents and caregivers.
The Hype House is a collective of teenage TikTok personalities based in Moorpark, California, as well as the name of the mansion where some of the creators live. It is a collaborative content creation house, allowing the different influencers and content creators to make videos together easily.
Many countries have imposed past or ongoing restrictions on the video sharing social network TikTok. Bans from government devices usually stem from national security concerns over potential access of data by the Chinese government. Other bans have cited children's well-being and offensive content such as pornography.
The Benadryl challenge is an internet challenge that emerged in 2020, revolving around the deliberate consumption, excessive use and overdose of the antihistamine medicine diphenhydramine, which acts as a deliriant in high doses. The challenge, which reportedly spread via the social media platform TikTok, instructs participants to film themselves consuming large doses of Benadryl and documenting the effect of tripping or hallucinating.
Internet challenges are a popular phenomenon on the Internet, encompassing a wide range of videos in which individuals record themselves performing specific actions or tasks, often daring others to do the same. These challenges have become a significant part of Internet meme culture, with many of them gaining widespread attention and popularity through memes. Notable examples of such challenges include the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, which gained viral status in mid-2014, and the TrashTag Challenge, which became popular in 2019.
Abbie Richards is a misinformation educator and environmental activist whose conspiracy theory charts went viral on Twitter in 2020 and 2021.
Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.
Ronnie McNutt was a 33-year-old American man and US Army Reserve veteran from New Albany, Mississippi, who committed suicide by shooting himself under his chin on a Facebook livestream, which went viral on various social media platforms due to its inherent shock value.
The Kia Challenge is a viral TikTok trend to which a series of motor vehicle thefts is attributed, targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles in the United States manufactured between 2011 and 2021. The trend, which began in October 2022, has led to eight fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
TikTok has been involved in a number of lawsuits since its founding, with a number of them relating to TikTok's data collection techniques.