One mom takes on YouTube over a deadly social media blackout challenge – NPR

Annie McGrath and her son Griffin when he was young. Annie McGrath hide caption toggle caption Annie McGrath Annie McGrath and her son Griffin when he was young. Annie McGrath Annie McGrath never had to worry too much about her 13-year-old son Griffin. He had good grades and lots of friends. Griffin played baseball and the drums and had even won a national science competition. Because he was so interested in science and experiments, he spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos. That’s where he and his friends saw something called the blackout challenge. “We had heard of challenges,” said McGrath, who lives in Madison, Wis. “But I never knew there were any that were deadly.” Social media challenges involve people recording themselves doing something dramatic, funny or risky. The videos often go viral. Some of these dares, however, can be dangerous. Like the blackout challenge, which is when someone holds their breath until they pass out. That’s what happened to Griffin one night in February 2018. He did the blackout challenge from his room, while FaceTiming with friends. Only he never woke up. “I didn’t know anything was wrong until it was too late,” McGrath said, in an
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