10-Year-Old Girl Dies After Taking Part in ‘Blackout Challenge,’ Family Speaks Out

The 10-year-old girl's mother told local reporters her daughter's death represents a "pain that won't go away." The child, Nyla, died earlier this month.

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A family in Pennsylvania is speaking out after the death of their 10-year-old daughter, who is reported to have participated in what’s been called the “Blackout Challenge.”

In short, the challenge—which has appeared in a number of TikTok-related headlines this year—is said to be built around the idea of intentionally losing consciousness. 10-year-old Nyla, according to a regional report from WPVI-TV, died earlier this month after attempting the challenge. As Nyla’s mother Tawainna Anderson explained, her daughter “was a butterfly” and will be remembered as a “fun and bright” child who had learned to speak three different languages.

“Make sure you check your kids’ phones,” Tawainna advised. “You never know what you might find on their phones. You wouldn’t think 10-year-olds would try this. They’re trying because they’re kids and they don’t know better.” Nyla’s death, Tawainna said, marks “a pain that won’t go away.”

According to a Daily Beast-highlighted online memorial page, Nyla died on Dec. 12. A ceremony is set to take place in Chester, Pennsylvania later this week. Elizabeth Wood, who works as a licensed clinical social worker with the PICU’s Division of Critical Care Medicine at Nemours Children’s Hospital, is quoted in the local ABC report as stating that Nyla had been in her room at the time of the incident. Her family was also home at the time.

“But no one was in the bedroom with her when this happened, so there was no one there to save her,” Wood said.

In a statement shared with Complex, a TikTok spokesperson said this challenge “predates our platform” and noted that it has never been a trend on the platform.

“This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend,” the spokesperson said. “We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss.”

Earlier this month, TikTok was in headlines due to local reports out of multiple states regarding threats of violence allegedly having been made against various schools on the platform. However, a TikTok rep later said no evidence was found of such threats having originally stemmed from the platform.

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