What is the “blackout challenge”, the viral challenge that left a brain dead child

Archie Batterbee, a 12-year-old English boy, was found unconscious on 7 April in his home. Since that day he has never woken up and is hospitalized for brain death. In the last few hours, justice has announced that he will disconnect the adolescent’s artificial respirator. Meanwhile, his parents are making their last efforts to prevent it.

Local and medical authorities justified the decision by arguing that Archie is brain dead and nothing can be done.

Hollie Dance, the boy’s mother, said her son was doing a viral challenge she had seen on TikTok. And she tried to convey a message about the risks of these practices.

According to the woman, Archie was performing the “blackout challenge” when he was on the verge of death. “I went to see where she was and called her and she didn’t answer. Then I figured it out He was hanging from the railing with something around his neck. “described his mother.

The mother picked up her son and immediately went to the street to ask for help. After that, he ran to perform CPR on her. He was then transferred to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, where doctors told Hollie that “Archie would not have survived the night”. He hasn’t woken up since that day.

The Blackout Challenge or Blackout Challengeconsists of a very serious challenge circulating on TikTok, which consists of putting a belt around the neck to check how much time the participant can spend without breathing.

This challenge on TikTok is based on social network users blocking their breath until they pass out and experience “strong sensations”. And if that wasn’t enough, some of the people who accept the challenge, They are registered with their cell phones.

According to Archie’s family, this challenge would have caused the child to be brain dead.

That said, other users are asking to raise awareness to guide minors facing the very dangerous TikTok blackout challenge.

The decision of Justice

According to the doctors treating the child, Archie is brain dead and has no chance of recovery. That’s why they recommend disconnecting the artificial respirator, which would be done in the next few hours.

His mother said it is “extremely disappointed” for justice’s decision to end her life support, but says she won’t give up on her son.

It is not the first time that British justice has authorized the disconnection of a minor against the will of the parents.

In 2018 the case of alfi evans around the world. The boy, just 21 months old, who suffered from an undiagnosed degenerative neurological condition, was disconnected from life support after a UK Supreme Court ruling backed the doctors’ request.

Justice then confirmed that the child “had lost the ability to hear, see, smell or respond to touch due to the catastrophic degeneration of his brain.” “Keeping the baby connected to the lung ventilation machine would compromise Alfie’s future dignity,” she concluded.