TikTok ‘Choke Challenge’ – what we know so far

The ‘choke challenge’ is not new, nor has it actually gone viral (yet), so pause, it’s really important to stay calm. Make sure you read this blog to the end to understand what has happened and what you can do to help the children in your care.

So, what advice can you give a child if they come across something scary or disturbing online? Tell them to:

Stop – what they’re doing and turn off their screen or shut down their device

Breathe – pause and stay calm

Think – try not to focus on what they saw in great detail, and remind themselves that there is no immediate danger to them and that they are safe

Talk – they should find a trusted adult to talk to about what they’ve seen and how they feel

Our Advice

It’s unlikely that the children in your care will have seen this content. Therefore, our advice is to sensitively check in with them. Do this by having an open conversation but do not directly mention the challenge by name.

Suggest that you’ve heard there is some disturbing content being circulated in an online challenge and ask if they’ve heard of anything like that?

If during the conversation they talk to you about challenges it’s a good idea to visit our online safety centre to understand how to configure safety settings on the platforms they use.

This is the best way to open an indirect conversation that enables the child to talk to you about any concerns without inciting them or their friends to seek out the actual content.

Ensure that children and young people in your care know who they can talk to if they come across something that upsets or distresses them online. 

Further Support and Resources