A 14-year-old British child became the latest in a series of deaths stemming from the "blackout challenge," the Daily Record reported on Thursday.
Leon Brown died just weeks after another British child, 12-year-old Archie Battersbee, died due to the TikTok trend where kids self-strangulate to see how long they can hold their breath.
"It went horribly wrong," Leon's mother, Lauryn Keating, told the Record. "One of Leon's friends told me he had been doing the challenge on Facetime with them after seeing it on TikTok. I had heard of this challenge because of what happened to Archie Battersbee."
"My Leon thought he would be the one to try it first," she continued. Leon "and his friends probably thought it was a laugh and a joke."
Keating described Leon as the "happiest, funniest wee boy ever" — a class clown who loved to make his schoolmates laugh.
"You just don't expect your own child to do it," the grieving mother said. "Please warn them; these online challenges aren't worth their lives. They aren't worth 'likes' or whatever they are doing it for."
TikTok, which is facing wrongful-death lawsuits after two girls in California, ages 8 and 9, died from the challenge, issued a statement offering its condolences to the Keating family.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to Leon Brown's family during this incredibly difficult time. The safety of our community is our priority, and we take any claim about a dangerous challenge very seriously."
The Chinese-owned social media giant has pledged to spend billions of dollars toward fighting dangerous challenge videos on its platform, according to the New York Post.
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