ALBAWABA - The TikTok application gained its popularity due to its ease of use and diverse content, including user-generated videos featuring "fun" challenges such as the spicy food challenge and the one-minute makeup challenge. However, there are other challenges that can have fatal consequences for participants.
Last month, a 13-year-old Australian girl died of a heart attack after participating in a TikTok challenge. The challenge involved inhaling substances like metallic paints, solvents, benzene, and chemicals from aerosol cans to experience a euphoric feeling.
In her case, Esraa Heinz inhaled fumes from deodorant cans, which led to her being on life support for eight days before suffering severe brain damage. Her family made the difficult decision to turn off the life support, according to Fox News. Heinz's family called on authorities to tighten their control over social media content. In response to this request, the Victorian Department of Education in Australia decided to intensify efforts to raise awareness among students about the use of these platforms.
On the other side of the world, a 13-year-old American teenager also died last month after participating in a dangerous TikTok challenge. Jacob Stevens consumed around 14 tablets of the medication "Benadryl" and remained on respiratory support for a week before his death, according to his family's statement on the "Go Fund Me" platform.
It's worth noting that the amount Stevens consumed was six times the recommended dosage. TikTok emphasized that the safety of its users is a priority and that it prohibits any content that encourages dangerous behavior.
In a separate tragic incident that was not directly caused by the application's challenges, the heart of a seven-year-old Lebanese child, Mohammed Istanbuli, stopped beating. While playing around his home in the city of Tyre, Lebanon, Istanbuli was startled by a group of young people dressed in scary costumes and carrying swords, roaming the streets of the city. Their goal was to shoot a "horror" video and share it on the platform, but their actions indirectly led to the death of this child. Upon witnessing the scene, Istanbuli's heart muscle immediately stopped functioning.
