Choking game: Parents warn others after losing 13-year-old son

Parents of a 13-year-old boy from Brisbane, who lost his life while playing a choking game, have been spreading awareness and warning other moms and dads to supervise the online activities of their children as they can take lives.

The name of the boy has not been revealed on the parents' request. The boy died on December 30 while playing the so called “good boys’ game” (online games are often called “the good boys’ game” as they do not involve drugs and alcohol), in which youngsters choke themselves by withholding oxygen in the brain and thereafter post videos online.

The news broke out on Monday after the principal of the boy’s school (not named on parents' request) revealed about the incident urging other parents to be careful. The parents of the boy have also warned other moms and dads to be vigilant about choking games and other dangerous online influences.

“They are kids, they are not aware of the dangers and the consequences, and it really is the parents’ job to talk to kids about it and for schools to make sure they are making parents aware,” Carmel Nash, executive director of Federation of Parents and Friends Association of Catholic Schools in Queensland told the Courier Mail.

The boy was a keen cricket as well as AFL player. His clubs also paid tribute to him in a Facebook post, writing, “(He) was a talented left-arm bowler, sharp fielder and hard-hitting batsman. A team player who embraced the true spirit of friendship and cricket.” A private funeral for the boy will be held next week.

This is not the first incident

A 12-year-old boy named Karnel Haughton from Birmingham, England had also lost his life while playing the choking game in June 2016. He passed out in his bedroom, after which he was taken to the hospital but the doctors couldn’t save him.

“This game has been around several years but seems to have become worryingly popular again. It is so, so, so important that you talk to your children and make sure they know that one of many consequences of playing this game is sadly death,” Haughton’s family friend had posted on Facebook.