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Texas Parents Warn After 9-Year-Old Dies in 'Blackout' Social Media Challenge

They urge greater platform accountability, saying recommendation algorithms expose children to dangerous videos.

Overview

  • JackLynn Kaye Blackwell was found on February 3 in her Stephenville backyard with a cord around her neck, and her father tried CPR before she died.
  • Her parents say she had shown her grandmother a video of someone doing the challenge the day before and believe she was copying what she saw online.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented roughly 80 deaths linked to the blackout or choking challenge.
  • The challenge restricts oxygen to the brain and remains visible on social platforms despite some search blocks and warnings, according to news reviews.
  • Coverage places the case in a wider pattern that includes prior teen deaths, a 2025 U.S. lawsuit by parents of British victims against TikTok, and Australia’s new under‑16 restrictions on major platforms.