Mother issues warning over disturbing TikTok ‘Tap Out’ challenge after she overhears children talking about playing chokehold ‘game’ in the park
- Katy Spence spotted children carrying out the ‘tap out’ challenge in Lincolnshire
- The deadly game involves being put into a chokehold to the point of passing out
A mother has raised the alarm after spotting children playing a dangerous ‘tap out’ game which has been linked to several deaths.
The do-or-dare challenge involves being put into a chokehold to the point of unconsciousness
It has been popularised on social media, with TikTok star Logan Paul among the influencers who have performed similar wrestling moves in clips watched by millions of young viewers.
Katy Spence, a mother-of-two from Boston, Lincolnshire, was taking her own son to the park when she spotted a group of schoolchildren goading each other to do the lethal challenge, Lincolnshire Live reports.
She said: ‘There was a group of around eight of them and they were being loud… I usually would never say something to someone else’s child, but when I heard them say that, I had to intervene.
Logan Paul shared a choking video where he tapped out on Monday on TikTok
Other ‘tap out’ videos are easy to find online as online experts warned that schoolchildren have been trying it
‘I said to them that they shouldn’t play that game, but they didn’t care what I had to say and said ‘are you going to stop us?’
‘They just had no regard for the danger they were putting themselves in, when I told them that they could end up in a wheelchair they just didn’t care.’
READ MORE: WARNING OVER ‘TAP OUT’ CHALLENGE, AFTER TIKTOK ‘CHOKE’ VIDEOS FROM LOGAN PAUL
The ‘tap out’ game – also known as the fainting game, hangman, elevator, and blackout – is often played by groups of teens who partner up and cause each other to lose consciousness.
But it can also be played alone and there are tragic cases where young people have died while being watched by friends online.
In 2016, 12-year-old Karnel Haughton was found dead in Birmingham by his mother after taking part in the ‘tap out’ challenge while she was out buying fish and chips.
On March 22, 2021, Joshua Haileyesus, also aged 12, was found unconscious in Colorado by his twin brother and spent 19 days in a coma before he was declared brain dead.
And on Tuesday, schoolboy Hamdan Khaliq died after he was rushed to hospital after an incident at St Kentigern’s Academy in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.
Members of his family claimed that he had died when a ‘bully’ choked him as part of the online challenge. Police are investigating but are said to have dismissed the theory as social media speculation. The school has called it an ‘isolated incident’.
MailOnline has found a significant number of ‘tap out’ videos available on TikTok.
Logan Paul, the influential social media star and fighter behind the Prime energy drink craze, shared a video of him being choked on Wednesday to his 17.5million followers. Some of the comments under them are from users declaring that they want to attempt it.
Ms Spence added: ‘Many parents don’t know what the game is, but they need to know the dangers.
‘I told the kids in the park that if they did start playing I would call the police immediately.
‘No one should be doing that to each other. ‘It’s just so scary from a mother’s point of view as it can be so dangerous.’
14-year-old schoolboy Hamdan Khaliq died this week. Two members of his family claimed he died ‘after being put in a chokehold’, the police have said this is speculation
Leon Brown, of Cumbernauld, Scotland, (pictured above with his mother) was just 14-years-old when he was found unresponsive in his bedroom and died after reportedly attempting the same dangerous TikTok trend
Archie Battersbee, the 12-year-old boy left in a comatose state after suffering brain damage. Although the coroner said there was ‘no evidence he took part in ‘blackout challenge’
The terrifying game first became a horrifying trend around a decade ago before rearing up again around two years ago. Videos can be viewed on several social networks including TikTok,
Parents have been urged to speak to their children and urge them against trying it.
Experts have also warned adults to look for signs that young people have had a go at the deadly game, including severely bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, complaints of frequent severe headaches and disorientation after spending time alone.
In 2022 a grieving mother revealed how her son died in front of his friends while attempting a deadly TikTok choking challenge.
Leon Brown, of Cumbernauld, Scotland, was just 14-years-old when he was found unresponsive in his bedroom.
His heartbroken mother, Lauryn Keating, issued a warning to fellow parents after her son’s friend revealed he had wanted to replicate the choking game after seeing it on the video-sharing app.
The mother of Archie Battersbee claimed her young son was taking part in an online blackout challenge before he died. Although the coroner said there was ‘no evidence he took part in ‘blackout challenge’.
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