REPORT: Argentinian Girl Dies After Botched TikTok Challenge
A 12-year-old girl from Argentina passed away after undertaking a fatal "TikTok choking challenge."
"We are inconsolable [because] we gave her so much love," the victim's aunt, Laura Luque, told Jam Press of the tragedy that happened on January 13 in Capitán Bermudez, Santa Fe Province in Argentina.
An autopsy report acquired by the Argentine daily El Litoral indicates that Milagros Soto's father found her dead Friday with a rope around her neck when he returned home from work.
It has been reported that she was fatally injured while live streaming the challenge to her fellow students, per Fox News.
After being victimized at school, Soto received a link to the challenge via WhatsApp, according to his aunt.
"I believe someone encouraged her to do it," the bereaved relative stated. "She suffered a lot with bullying."
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The Dangerous 'TikTok Challenge'
The "TikTok choking challenge," often known as the "blackout challenge," is a risky act in which participants suffocate themselves until they pass out online.
The strange viral fad has been called "potentially dangerous" by experts, who say it can cause fainting, brain damage, seizures, and even death, according to the New York Post.
Milagros Soto, the girl from Argentina, had attempted and successfully removed the noose on two previous occasions but failed to do so on his third try, reports said.
However, on the third try, Luque claimed that her niece could not take the rope from her neck, and the fatal event was reportedly caught on video.
The little girl's aunt said she still had many questions about everything that occurred to her niece despite the kid's earlier explanation since "she was a very smart girl."
The death of the preteen has prompted an investigation by authorities who hope to uncover the truth.
Many Kids Have Died From 'Choking Challenge'
Aside from the Argentina girl, several children, including a 9-year-old Wisconsin girl and an 8-year-old Texas girl, died in 2021 after participating in the "TikTok choking challenge" or "blackout" challenges similar to those made famous on the TikTok app.
The two families sued the social networking company separately in 2022, claiming that the app was "an addictive product that is not safe for users."
A mother in Pennsylvania filed a similar complaint after seeing her 10-year-old daughter dangling from a purse strap in May 2022. After a few days, her daughter passed away.
However, a federal judge sided with the app's developers and rejected the claim in October, citing the Communications Decency Act's Section 230, which states that social media platforms are immune from liability for content posted by third parties.
"Choking challenge," like the "TikTok challenge," has been around, in some form, for decades. Between 1995 and 2007, the most recent year for which data is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 82 children and young adults (aged 6 to 19) have died while participating in some form of the challenge, The Washington Examiner noted.
Experts have cautioned people against taking part in such challenges and urged social media users to report content that could put them in harm's way.
According to TikTok's Community Guidelines, anything with such challenges is not allowed on the app's platform.
Users who look for the "blackout challenge" on the TikTok app will now be taken to the site's Safety Center.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss," a spokesperson for TikTok stated. "The safety of our community is our priority, and we take any claim about a dangerous challenge very seriously. Content of this nature is prohibited on our platform and would be removed if found."
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Girl, 12, dies after sick TikTok choking challenge: 'Someone encouraged her' - From New York Post