Warning to parents as horrifying ‘pass out challenge’ choking game continues to sweep the world
A FRESH warning has been issued to parents against the “choking game” – the chilling craze which is sweeping schools around the world.
The sick trend involves young people deliberately strangling each other or themselves in order to “get high” after cutting off the blood to their brain.
But the idiotic trend is fraught with danger and is thought to have claimed scores of young lives.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical director of told Sun Online: “The big concern is that some children will take it too far and don’t understand what they are doing – and some children may die.
“If it is taken too far it could be fatal and of course children have a horrible tendency to egg each other on.
“A lack of blood supply to the brain could cause seizures and brain damage. Some damage can happen within seconds.”
ALERT: Warning signs of kids playing the choking game
Studies suggest that more than 250 kids have died since 2001 as a result of this game
The entire game takes less than five minutes from start to finish.
It can be done nearly anywhere and no tools or props are necessary.
But, it can be difficult to catch children in the act.
Noticing any of the following indicators and taking immediate action may save a life:
- Bloodshot eyes
- Unexplainable marks on the neck
- Frequent, severe headaches
- Disorientation after spending time alone
- Discussion of the choking game with friends or siblings – common slang terms include “flat liner”, “twitching game” and “funky chicken”
Source: Culture of Safety
Dr Jarvis’ main concern is that some youngsters may be more vulnerable to harm or death.
She said: “Human beings are very variable and we are very different to each other.
“In the front of your neck are carotid sinuses and those are in some people are very sensitive and that’s the main reason why some people faint more quickly.”
The GP said it was a latest in a long line of idiotic online trends, which included Neknominate where people are dared to drink dangerous amounts of alcohol.
She said: “I am seeing more dangerous crazes on social media is a really powerful tool for this”.
Social media and YouTube has more than 36 million results on how to play the choking game.
According to reports today in Australia, the craze has become popular once again in Brisbane in the east of the country.
Just last week 11-year-old Carson Bodkins body was discovered in his bedroom in Elizabeth, Colorado, after taking part in the strangling game.
His parents told that the fifth grader would still be alive if they had been aware of the viral online challenge, which encourages kids to strangle themselves until they pass out.
They are telling families to be aware of signs their youngsters are playing the potentially fatal game, indications of which include bloodshot eyes, severe headaches, and disorientation after spending time alone.
Erik Robinson, 12, was another victim.
The California schoolboy was found slumped in the doorway by his distraught mum Judy Rogg in April 2010, who desperately battled in vain to save him.
Judy has since dedicated herself to raising awareness of the dangers of the deadly practice – setting up an organisation called Erik’s Cause.
Deaths from the game are difficult to track, as they are often declared suicides.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued a 2008 report that attributed 82 deaths from 1995 to 2007 to the “choking game”.
But the organisation admitted the available data did not show the full scope of the problem.
More than 1,400 kids died from the more general causes of accidental hanging or strangulation from 2000 to 2015, the CDC admitted.
ADVICE FOR ADULTS: Stop kids from playing the choking game
The so-called game involves cutting off the flow of blood to the brain
Research suggests that when one student is found to be playing the choking game, inevitably others are playing, as well.
By keeping a watchful eye for the warning signs, parents and guardians can address this terrifying trend before it spreads further.
Share the list of common slang terms children use for the choking game (see box of terminology below) with parents, so they are aware.
While children taking part in it think it’s no big deal, the reality is that it is dangerous, and can result in killing brain cells or death: it is NEVER safe.
What should you do if you discover children playing the choking game in your facility?
- Make it clear to the children there’s a zero-tolerance policy on participation, just as there is with drugs and alcohol.
- Set a strong example by strictly adhering to your policies, and explain to parents why their child has been removed from activities and how serious a problem the choking game is.
And the lack of data has allowed the practice to fly under the radar in schools and homes.
But Judy is battling to prevent the game from claiming any more young lives.
She and others from Erik’s Cause go into schools to try and educate kids and counter the effects of sick online tutorial vids.
Judy said: “We talk about the brain and how to keep it healthy.
“And then we make a slight pivot to say any blood and oxygen that is being disrupted to the brain is a danger.”
Slang names for the choking game
Dozens of seemingly playful slang terms have been used to describe the practice
- 5 Minutes of Heaven
- Airplaning
- America Dreaming
- Black Out
- Black Hole
- California High
- Choke Out
- Cloud Nine
- Flat Liner
- Funky Chicken
- Hangman
- Harvey Wall Banger
- High Riser
- Hyperventilating
- Knock-Out
- Lions and Tigers
- Natural High
- Purple Dragon
- Rising Sun
- Rush
- Sleeping Game
- Sleeper Hold
- Snuff
- Something Dreaming
- Space Cowboy
- Space Monkey
- Speed Dreaming
- Suffocation Roulette
- Twitching Game
The bereaved mum added: “We go into the names for the game and tell them there is one name that is called ‘flatlining’.
“So one name for this ‘cool’ activity is that your heart stops and you’re dead.
“This is not a cool name.”
Sections of this story originally appeared on .
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