A 9-year-old boy reportedly died from strangulation while attempting a TikTok challenge, according to his parents.
LaTerius Smith Jr., who was found by family members unresponsive with a belt around his neck, died in a hospital on June 10, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee after succumbing to injuries suffered during the "strangulation challenge," WREG reported.
Laterius' great-great-aunt, Barbara Williams, told WREG:
To see that baby laying in that casket, hasn't even had the opportunity to grow up. You know, his life has ended because of some people putting stupid things on various sites.
It was not until later on that the family found out that there was a social media challenge that encouraged users to attempt to get out of a strangulation.
Williams told the local news outlet:
It wasn’t until later on that we found out there was some type of video on TikTok, you know, letting kids know … how to strangle yourself. But you got to get out of it, the challenge was to get out of it. But he’s 9 years old, he’s 9 years old, so how was he going to get out of it?
She encouraged other parents to do whatever they can to save their children's lives but acknowledged that 24 surveillance is not possible.
A TikTok spokesperson told WREG that such challenges have been banned from their platform.
Laterius' death is just the latest tragedy to result from a TikTok challenge.
In January, a 10-year-old girl reportedly died after attempting the "Blackout Challenge," in which users are encouraged restrict their airflow in an effort to pass out. The girl allegedly tied a belt around her neck, and was later declared brain dead after a trip to the hospital in cardiac arrest.
An 11-year-old in England was reported in May to have been "fighting for his life" after swallowing magnetic balls during a TikTok trend. Users placed the magnetic balls on either side of their tongue to create fake tongue piercings.
Last year, three teenagers were reportedly taken to hospital after attempting the "Benadryl Challenge" challenge in which users take a heavy number of the pills to trip out and cause a high, but they were able to fully recover. A 15-year-old girl attempting the challenge reportedly died in August 2020.
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