MA Teen Dies After Trying TikTok 'Blackout Challenge'

AMHERST, MA — A Massachusetts middle schooler died this week after attempting a viral TikTok challenge.

Nate Squires was found unresponsive in his home Saturday and succumbed to his injuries Monday. He was 13.

Now, his family members want to bring awareness to the "Blackout Challenge," in which TikTok users are dared to choke themselves until they lose consciousness.

The challenge has been around for years on other social media outlets and is sometimes known as the "Passout Challenge" or "Choking Game." It's re-gaining traction on TikTok. The challenge is to “choke oneself or another in an effort to obtain a brief euphoric state or ‘high,’” according to the CDC and a 2008 study.

Samantha Thomas, the relative who set up the GoFundMe page, writes, "All over the world families are losing children to this. We ask that if you cannot donate, please reach out to a child in your life and talk to them about the black out challenge."

It's not the only deadly TikTok challenge — the "Skullbreaker Challenge," in which people kick out the legs of someone standing up, reportedly resulted in the death of a 16-year-old Brazilian girl in 2019.