'Blackout Challenge' Left CO Boy On Life Support: Things To Know

AURORA, CO — A 12-year-old boy in Aurora, Colorado, was placed on life support following an attempt at a dangerous internet challenge, his family said.

Joshua Haileyesus was found by his twin brother passed out on the bathroom floor and not breathing on March 22, according to a post the family made on its GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his medical care.

He was attempting the "blackout challenge," which encourages participants to choke themselves until they pass out, after reportedly seeing it on social media.

It’s unknown how long Haileyesus wasn’t breathing for and his brother attempted to resuscitate him until an ambulance arrived, the family wrote. Doctors have said his survival from the incident is “extremely unlikely.”

His father, Haileyesus Zeryihun, told news station KMGH he wants people to see what his family is going through because of the challenge. He said parents and their children should be more cautious of what they engage with online or else it could result in the same deadly consequences of the Blackout Challenge.

“This is something that kids need to be given to be taught, to be counseled. Because this is a serious thing," Haileyesus Zeryihun told the news outlet. "It's not a joke at all. And you can treat it as if somebody is holding a gun. This is how dangerous this is."

Here are some things to know about the deadly game:

What Is The Challenge?

It’s known by several names including "the choking game," "speed dreaming," "blackout challenge" and "good kid's high." Whatever it’s called, it always involves the same thing: people, primarily children, intentionally choke themselves or others in an attempt to feel a lightheaded euphoria without having to buy alcohol or drugs, according to Time magazine.

The game has been around since as early as the 1990s and awareness was primarily spread through word-of-mouth. However, in recent years, it has gained traction online where it can spread more easily to people.

Have People Died From It?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commissioned a report on the game and found that, from 1995 to 2007, 82 people have died in the United States because of it. Most of the victims were boys between the ages of 11 to 16.

Although the CDC hasn't studied the choking game since then, the agency did report more than 1,400 children have died from accidental hanging or strangulation from 2000 to 2015, according to Time.

Have Websites Tried To Stop It?

A search on TikTok of terms associated with the choking game did not pull up any related videos on the platform. A company spokesperson said in a statement to Patch the platform removes any content that violates its policy against suicide, self-harm and dangerous acts.

“At TikTok, we have no higher priority than protecting the safety of our community, and content that promotes or glorifies dangerous behavior is strictly prohibited and promptly removed to prevent it from becoming a trend on our platform,” the spokesperson said. “We also block related hashtags and searches to discourage people from participating in or sharing potentially dangerous content.”

The choking game also violates YouTube’s policy against allowing “challenges that pose an imminent risk of physical injury.” The company told Time in 2018 it increased its moderation efforts to remove videos related to the game.

The magazine was also told by Facebook it found no mention of the game on its platform after a year-long internal investigation.

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