Wellington teenager dies after experimenting with internet choking challenge

The teen died in 2020 after doing a social media choking challenge.

The accidental death of a Wellington teenager by asphyxiation has renewed calls for more education about dangerous social media challenges. Coroner Alexander Ho ruled the 14-year-old had not intended to die when he asphyxiated himself in July 2020 and so ruled the death a misadventure.

The coroner found the teen was overall happy, and his relationship with his girlfriend was going well – there was no sign that the teen wanted to die.

He was found in his bedroom by his father and died in hospital four days later.

In the coroner’s report, his parents mentioned they had noticed some signs the teen was interested in choking – marks on his neck, and a small subconjunctival haemorrhage in one eye, which can be a sign of asphyxiation.

Videos of choking had been found in recent internet searches by the teenager, as well as photos of the teen and some of his classmates making choking gestures.

The teen’s mother said that he found pressure or compression to be comforting and soothing. He was calmed by things like being tucked tightly into bed, or having a heavy blanket on top of him after a stressful day.

She thought firm touch might be something he used for emotional regulation and that may have become “addicted” to putting pressure on his neck.

Coroner Ho said the lack of information around the dangers of so-called choking “games” could have contributed to the death.

“In light of the evidence I have considered it is likely that [the teen] was engaging in this ‘game’ albeit on his own with no apparent intention to share his experience with others when he died.”

The case is reminiscent of another in 2011 where Coroner Wallace Bain recommended teachers and parents be given more help to spot the warning signs of fainting or choking “games” involving asphyxia.

Now, Coroner Ho has recommended that schools and parents be given up-to-date information from the Ministry of Education about the risks of the “games”.

The information should be age-appropriate and seperpate to that of material on suicide prevention. It also should not refer to these social media challenges as ‘games’ and instead refer to self-induced acute asphyxiation.

“Any inference to a ‘game’ implies an activity of diversion or amusement. Use of terms such as ‘self-induced acute asphyxiation’ is unlikely to make the activity seem desirable or come into common use.”

Coroner Ho extended his condolences to the teens friends and family for their loss.

Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.