A new viral TikTok challenge killed a 9-year-old boy after he tried the trending Strangulation Challenge. TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms when it comes to entertainment.

Viral TikTok Strangulation Challenge Kills Boy: Protecting Kids From Dangerous Trends
(Photo : Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

You can either be a content creator or just one of the watchers. However, many people want to be famous just like their TikTok idols. Right now, young users are the ones usually using the popular Chinese app.

However, some trends are not advised to do. These include the new Strangulation trend. The latest victim of this new challenge is LaTerius Smith Jr., who passed away recently this June 10.

Many of his friends and relatives describe him as fun-loving, a bundle of joy, and full of energy. To give you more ideas, here's what happened to the poor kid.

TikTok Strangulation Challenge Kills A Kid?

According to Newsweek's latest report, the family of the deceased young boy said that they discovered that the reason for his death was an online challenge, which encourages users to choke or strangle themselves until they pass out.

Viral TikTok Strangulation Challenge Kills Boy: Protecting Kids From Dangerous Trends
(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
A young man holding a smartphone casts a shadow as he walks past an advertisement for social media company TikTok on September 21, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. U.S. President Donald Trump has given preliminary approval for Oracle, Walmart and other investors to take over TikTok and create a new U.S.-based company called TikTok Global.

Also Read: TikTok Owner ByteDance Wins First Mobile Game Hit; Bumps Annual Revenue to $34 Billion

"You know, his life has ended because of some people putting stupid things on various sites," said Barbara Williams, the great-great-aunt of the 9-year-old victim.

"It wasn't until later on that we found out there was some type of video on TikTok, letting kids know how to strangle yourself," she added.

Williams said that the main purpose of the challenge is to make TikTok users strangle themselves without getting killed. But, she explained that LaTerius is just a kid, asking how he will survive the TikTok challenge.

This just shows that parents need to guide their children since social media platforms are now very easy to access. If you are worried about your kid's safety, you need to follow this guide:

Keeping Your TikTok Users Safe 

The Philadelphia Inquirer provided a quick guide on how you can protect your kids from harmful TikTok challenges. To do this, all you need to do is follow these simple steps: 

  1. Inform your kids about inappropriate content on the social media platform. 
  2. Enable "Screen Time Management" to set limits on time spent on TikTok.
  3. Always make sure that TikTok's Restricted Mode is turned on. 
  4. Make your own TikTok account and follow them to see the influencers they follow and the content they like. 
  5. Educate them on how to control their posts' comment sections. 

For more news updates about TikTok Strangulation Challenge and other dangerous TikTok trends, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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Written by: Griffin Davis

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