The 16-year-old died on May 27. (Representative pic)
A 16-year-old girl in France has died while attempting a viral TikTok challenge called “scarf game” – a variation of TikTok’s “blackout challenge” that has killed several people over the past year.Â
Christy Sibali Dominique Gloire Gassaille, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was at home when she attempted the deadly stunt, New York Post reported citing Jam Press. She died last month on May 27 and she was laid to rest on Wednesday at the Fleury-les-Aubrais cemetery, near her home in Orleans, France.
According to the Post, the dangerous TikTok challenge involves fastening cloth around the neck to asphyxiate oneself until passing out. Similar to the “blackout challenge”, this challenge too can restrict the oxygen flow to the brain, and cause seizures, serious injury and in some cases death.Â
Christy’s death now continues a pattern spurred by choking challenges, which have become popular on the social media app. However, as per the Post, the Chinese-owned company appears to have placed restrictions, as a search for the term “scarf game” returned a “no results found” message.Â
“This phrase may be associated with behaviour or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines,” the message read.Â
Meanwhile, in a similar incident, a Chinese influencer named Zhong Yuan Huang Ge, also known as Brother Huang to his 176,000 social media followers, died on June 2 after binging excessive amounts of potent liquor on camera as part of the viral ‘PK’ challenge.Â
The deadly challenge involves drinking Baijiu, a Chinese spirit with a typical alcohol content of between 30% to 60%. In his video, Mr Huang was seen downing baijiu and lighting tissue paper soaked in alcohol, while another clip showed a stack of dozens of bottles. The news of his death was confirmed by the 27-year-old’s wife in a statement to local media outlet Jimu News.Â
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