A boy dies after TikTok challenge – level 2

12-08-2022 07:00

Archie Battersbie was a twelve-year-old boy from Essex, UK. In April this year, his mother found him at their home with a belt around his neck.

Archie was unconscious. His mother said that had participated in a dangerous challenge on TikTok.

Archie spent four months in a hospital, but he never woke. Doctors said that the boy’s brain was dead, and only the machines kept him alive. They said that Archie would never recover, and they suggested to switch off the machines.

Archie’s family didn’t agree, and in the end, a court decided the situation to let him die. Archie’s family fought hard, but doctors switched off the machines last week on Sunday, and then the boy died.

The “blackout challenge” on TikTok is popular with young children. They hold their breath or choke, and sometimes they become unconscious.

Difficult words: unconscious (not awake and no reaction to anything), recover (to get healthy again), choke (to stop breathing because of something in the throat or no oxygen).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.

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