TikTok fainting challenge: Paramedic sounds alarm

A dangerous trend on social media platform TikTok that has caused death and disability overseas has found its way to Queensland school grounds.

Queensland kids are being treated for head injuries and seizures after trying a dangerous TikTok fainting challenge – prompting a warning from alarmed paramedics.

Various breath-holding and choking challenges have been circulating on the social media platform for some time, but a recent variation appears to be spreading through Queensland schools.

The dangerous challenges have seen a 12-year-old boy in the US left “brain dead” and a 10-year-old girl from Italy dead.

Senior paramedic and team leader of the Queensland Ambulance Service’s clinical hub Jess Patch said they picked up on the trend following a recent spate of incidents at schools.

“In the space of about an hour, we saw four cases come up in South East Queensland,” she said.

“It wasn’t one specific area but we predicted that as a trend in our view.

“When we looked at all the cases, they all identified as being involved in a passing out challenge. They all identified as being at schools – so they were all similar ages as well.

“We notified the State Operations Co-ordination Centre that this is a potential risk for schoolchildren.”

She said all four were taken to hospital.

“From our understanding … all the children were identified to have held their breath as long as they could until they passed out,” Ms Patch said.

“Some of them were coming through as seizures, because you can have a seizure from holding your breath for too long.

“Some were coming through as they’d passed out and hit their head, so there were head injuries involved.

“But the majority of them were fainting episodes.”

In another incident earlier this month, an ambulance was called for a child at a school camp after he passed out trying a TikTok challenge.

Advanced care paramedic Jen’s 14-year-old son was one of those who ran to help, and he later admitted to having tried it himself.

Jen and her son have spoken out about the TikTok breath challenge. Picture: Jamie Hanson

“We were advised by the school … that a child had attempted the pass out challenge and the child actually passed out. Other kids had to assist the child – one being my son,” she said, adding that a teacher called an ambulance.

“Then after that, because the school had been so forthcoming and told us what had happened, we all had the ability to then chat with our kids.”

She said when she spoke to her son, he confessed that he had tried it himself on another occasion after hearing about it from friends.

“And that shocked me that my son, who we instil a lot of safety messaging through the nature of my work and being a paramedic’s child, (had tried it),” Jen said.

“We thought we had all our bases covered and yet we discovered that he had tried it.

“He said when he tried it he didn’t do it successfully and he didn’t pass out but he did give it a go.”

Jen said the school provided support to the students who had seen their friend lose consciousness and had since educated the wider school community on the dangers of trying the stunt.

“I’ve spoken with my friends who have teenage kids as well and it’s become apparent that it’s really common,” she said.

“It’s happening at their homes, at schools, it doesn’t matter – they just go meet a friend and (say) let’s try this pass out challenge.

“I don’t think they’re necessarily filming themselves. They’re just doing it. It’s being talked about and they want to know (what it feels like).”

Jen said she had an “open discussion” with her son about the dangers and urged all parents to do the same.

“At the time when he tried it, he didn’t realise it was dangerous,” she said.

“Kids had just reported to him that you get a high feeling – it makes you feel good. And he was just intrigued. And the videos that they see just look amusing. The kids just get back up.”

Jen’s son, who The Sunday Mail has chosen not to identify, said his friend had gone behind the cabins where they were staying with two other boys to do the challenge.

He said they came running after his friend fell to the ground.

A still from a TikTok breath-holding challenge

“I didn’t know what was happening,” he said.

“And so one of my mates told me he did the pass out challenge. We got the teacher to help and the teacher called the ambulance.

“He was shaking … he couldn’t feel anything.”

He said he now understood how dangerous the TikTok challenge is.

“I did try it. I didn’t think (it was dangerous) because there were other people that were trying it – there were six people who had tried it … so I got curious.”

Ms Patch said holding your breath for long periods of time can cause heart arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats, seizures and worse.

“Falling and hitting your head is a problem as well. You can have head injuries, severe concussion and a bleed on the brain,” she said.

She said all parents should talk to their children about the risks.

“It’s challenging, especially with this age group as well. But it’s also about teaching them what is a reasonable thing to do and what’s not.

“It’s really challenging but it’s just about supporting and being connected to your child.”

A spokesman from Queensland Health said the various breath-restricting challenges were incredibly dangerous.

“Kids of Queensland – do not partake in these online trends. Your health and wellbeing is too important to be thrown away for likes and followers,” he said.

“Parents, please be wary of the content your children might be engaging with online. We encourage you to talk to your kids about social trends and the risks associated with them.”

An Education Department spokesman said they had not “centrally received any reports or complaints about this specific challenge”.

“Principals are well placed to identify, respond to and address any emerging negative behaviours and trends within their school communities and will communicate issues of concerns with parents and students should the need arise,” the spokesman said.

Dangerous challenges are prohibited by TikTok’s community guidelines

“When we receive reports about a dangerous or harmful challenge circulating online, we investigate,” the site says on its online challenges information page.

“Sometimes, we don’t find evidence of a trend – even when warnings are being widely shared and reported on other platforms or in the media.”