MEXICO GRIPPED BY DANGEROUS TIKTOK CHALLENGE THAT LEAVES STUDENTS DRUNK

Sat 21 January 2023:

Authorities in Mexico have issued a warning on a trending TikTok challenge that has left schoolchildren drunk. A substance called clonazepam, which is used to treat seizures, panic attacks, and anxiety, is consumed during the challenge with the motto “The last one to fall asleep wins,” according to a report by news agency AFP early on Saturday (January 21). Clonazepam has drowsiness as one of its adverse effects.

On TikTok, several videos of individuals taking the drug and recording the outcomes as well as cautionary messages regarding the risks of the challenge have been posted.

On Thursday, Mexico City’s public security department said that paramedics had treated five intoxicated minors at a school. On the other hand, authorities in the northern state of Nuevo Leon saw three such cases. None of the students was seriously ill.

Alma Rosa, the health secretary of Nuevo Leon said that such challenges that spread through networks often put people’s health at risk, the AFP report added. Previously, this TikTok challenge was also seen in Chile.

Meanwhile, authorities in Argentina are on alert over another challenge on TikTok which involves people competing to see who can hold their breath the longest without passing out. The ”Blackout Challenge” has killed two children in the country till now. According to a report by the Buenos Aires Herald, the victims aged 12 and 15 died in separate incidents just days apart.

Milagros Soto, 12, was discovered dead in her bedroom on January 13 in Capitán Bermudez, Santa Fe. Soto’s aunt told Radio 2 that the youngster “was incentivized” to complete the challenge that took her life while they were in a TikTok group video chat with her classmates.

The second victim, a 15-year-old in General Roca, Ro Negro, was discovered dead alongside a third boy, who was also involved in the blackout challenge and is still in critical condition, according to the article.

Notably, in 2022, a number of deaths were linked to a viral asphyxiation challenge on TikTok, which lead the app to restrict searches for the challenge and urge users not to take part in dangerous trends.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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