Risky Business: The Choking Game

Teens experiment with attitudes, appearances, and behaviors. While most of it is harmless, some experiments can have tragic results.

One experiment that backfires involves young people trying to get high by choking themselves or their friends. Teens—usually in middle school and early high school—try it alone or with others. They do it for the perceived high that occurs as oxygen rushes back to the brain—putting the player at high risk for nerve damage, even death.

Sound dangerous?

It is.

The Game That Kills

The United States began tracking the choking deaths of youths between the ages of 6 and 19 in 1995.¹ An accurate count is difficult because many of these deaths are reported as suicides. Some estimates place the number of choking deaths between 250 and 1,000 each year.² Most players who die alone are male, with an average age of 13. More than 90 percent of those who died had parents who were unaware of the game.³

A yearly Canadian survey of Ontario school districts found that 7 percent of kids in grades 7 to 12, or 79,000 kids, have played the game.⁴

How the Game Kills

The game usually involves two children. When the child being choked starts to lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen, the second releases the pressure, allowing the blood to rush to the brain. Keeping oxygen from the brain can cause permanent loss of brain functions such as concentration, memory, and death.

Kids Don’t Know It Kills

Some kids play because of peer pressure. Others receive a dare, a challenge, or a defined rite of passage that allows them into a social group. Some youths play for the quick, 5- to 10-second feelings that choking is believed to create. Still others are trying to find a cheap high. But it’s not.

What is clear is that most children who play the game do not understand the risk to their health or the possibility of death. Even when a person survives, thousands of brain cells have been killed.

The children who play are, more often than not, well-adjusted, high-achieving students looking to have a sensational experience.⁵

Look for the Warning Signs

The following signs may indicate your child or his or her friends are thinking about or playing the choking game.⁶

If your child has:

• Questions about the effects, sensations, or dangers of strangulation.
• Changes in personality, such as being angry or irritated, or unusual demands for privacy.
• Complaints of headaches (sometimes very bad ones), loss of concentration, a flushed face, or tiny red dots on the face.
• Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of stress on the eyes.
• Any suspicious mark on the side of the neck, sometimes hidden by a turtleneck, a scarf, or a turned-up collar.

If you notice:

• Any kind of strap (including bed sheets, belts, t-shirts, ropes) tied in strange knots and/or found in unusual places, or laying near the child without any reason—and a child avoids answering questions about such objects.
• A thud in the bedroom or against a wall—which could mean a fall if a child is alone and choking himself.
• Locked or blocked bedroom/bathroom doors.
• Wear marks on furniture such as bunk beds or closet rods.
• Your child’s Internet history of Web sites or chat rooms that mention asphyxiation or choking.

If you suspect your child or a friend is playing the choking game, supervise him or her very closely. Dispose of items that could be used for this purpose. Seek professional counseling and support for your child and your family.

Learn the Facts

Teens are often curious about risky behaviors. They may wrongly think that the choking game is a safe alternative to drinking or trying other substances such as pot or prescription drugs.

Your teen might hear about classmates who play the choking game or even know some friends who play. When your child talks about it with you, listen and take time to give your teen the facts to counter any myths.

One myth is that choking provides a harmless high. In actuality, the “high” is the cells of the brain seizing and beginning the process of permanent cell death. When a person becomes unconscious, pressure is released and the secondary “high” of the oxygen/blood rushing to the brain is achieved. The fact is that pressure on the neck cuts off blood to the brain and causes unconsciousness and possibly death.

Make Sure Your Loved Ones Understand

Talk to the children in your life. Make sure they understand why the game is so dangerous. Pointing out the dangers—as well as your concern for his or her safety—may help your child avoid experimenting with choking.

If you have difficulty speaking to your teen about it, you may want to bring up the subject as part of a more comprehensive discussion about drinking alcohol or using mood changing substances.

You also may want to talk to your child’s school about choking to make sure they’re watching for warning signs among students. School systems across the country are increasingly more aware of the problem and developing public education for counselors, teachers, parents, and students.⁷ Don’t wait for the school to take action; your child’s safety is your responsibility. Become an educated and involved parent by helping your children to understand the dangers of choking.

Sources

Additional Resources

The Choking Game: Risky Youth Behavior

GASP Games Adolescents Shouldn’t Play

The Choking Game: Advocating Education of the Dangers

Unintentional Strangulation Deaths from the “Choking Game” Among Youths Aged 6–19 Years, United States, 1995–2007

Choking Game Report Web site

Q&A for CDC Choking Game, MMWR, February 2008