The blackout challenge is an internet challenge based around the choking game, which deprives the brain of oxygen.[1] It gained widespread notoriety 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 numerous deaths of 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 has reported that TikTok ultimately ended up blocking 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, has 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]