Viral Challenge Ends in Tragedy

(UnitedVoice.com) – Internet trends are nothing new. In fact, sometimes, they are great vehicles for change, like when social media fans raised millions for ALS. Sadly, a TikTok trend recently ended in tragedy for a young child in Argentina.

On Friday, January 13, 12-year-old Milagros Soto was in her bedroom when someone sent her a link on WhatsApp for TikTok’s viral “choking challenge” (also known as the blackout challenge) from one of her classmates. The child tied a makeshift noose around her neck and managed to remove it twice. However, the third time she did it, she couldn’t get the rope off, and she died. She reportedly streamed the entire incident live.

Soto’s father arrived home from work and found her dead in the bedroom.

Milagros Soto, who had allegedly attempted the banned “blackout” stunt at least twice before, is among dozens of children to die from the challenge, the majority of whom were aged 12 or under. https://t.co/9ecK600fVC

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 17, 2023

The Daily Mail reported Laura Luque told a local news station that her family believes her classmates encouraged her to participate in the challenge. She claimed her niece “suffered a lot of bullying.” According to Luque, other children didn’t like Soto because she had blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her aunt said, “We are inconsolable [because] we gave her so much love,” the New York Post revealed.

Soto isn’t the only person to die after participating in a social media challenge. In 2021, 9-year-old Arriani Arroyo also participated in the blackout challenge and died. Her family sued TikTok last year over her death.

At least two other children, an 8-year-old in Texas and a 10-year-old in Pennsylvania, died in 2021 trying the same challenge. In 2022, participating in the incredibly dangerous game killed 12-year-old Archie Battersbee and 14-year-old Leon Brown.

After another child’s death and subsequent lawsuit, Fortune reported TikTok released a statement claiming it would remove any content related to the challenge from its app. Unfortunately, the company failed to remove the content showing Soto how to play the game before it killed her.