A 9-year-old girl has died from strangulation while attempting the social media “blackout challenge”, as her parents desperately tried to save her.
Jacqueline Blackwell tragically committed suicide in her family home in Texas while participating in the latest dangerous trend on social media.
Earlier that day the young girl had shown her grandmother a video of someone else taking part in the challenge, where people deliberately strangle themselves to become intoxicated for a short period of time.
Depriving the brain of oxygen can cause seizures, serious injury, or death.
His father, Curtis Blackwell, told cbs news: “She goes out into the courtyard to play as usual.
“I noticed it was somewhat quiet – quieter than it should have been.
When Curtis went to investigate, he found the lifeless body of his beloved daughter, with a rope wrapped around her neck.
“I tried everything I could to save him,” said Curtis.
“I freed him from the restraints. I tried to give him CPR until first responders got there.
“It was the scariest, most shocking thing I have ever seen.
“It was horrible to see my daughter in such a vulnerable state because of something so senseless.
Following this tragic incident, Jacqueline’s parents specifically hit out at this trend, urging parents to be careful about what their children consume online.
“This is not a joke, this is not a game, this is life and death,” said Curtis.
“Most kids are ages 9 to 14. A lot of kids her age don’t have fully developed brains, and they’re very easily influenced.
“A lot of these kids are lost, so these companies can’t be held accountable in my view.”
Some social media sites now post warnings, while others continue to promote it extremely dangerous act.
The horrific incident comes just days before a historic trial is set to begin in California.
It seeks to hold the world’s largest social media companies accountable for the untold harm they cause children who use their platforms.
Companies like Meta and YouTube intend to fight claims that their platforms knowingly create addiction and harm children.
TikTok and Snapchat were also originally included in the lawsuit, but they decided to settle a previously undisclosed sum.
