Girl breaks neck in viral TikTok challenge

An 18-year-old girl who broke her neck while performing a viral TikTok challenge two years ago has urged others not to do the same.

Sarah Platt was only 16 years old when she tried a TikTok challenge called the "skull breaker" after being egged on by her friends.

The challenge involves two people kicking your legs from underneath you so you land on your head. The stunt did not go well for Platt as she had to be rushed to a local hospital with no feeling in her right leg.

After several tests, the doctors found that she had broken three bones in her neck and her T5 vertebrae. It has been more than two years since the incident, but Platt has not been able to recover completely.

"It was just a trend that was around at the time. We thought making the TikTok would be fun and funny but I didn't really want to take part because I just didn't want to get hurt. But it was a little bit of peer pressure," she said.

She has developed a complication called postural tachycardia syndrome because of the injuries sustained in the incident. The condition causes an effect called orthostatic intolerance. This implies that a person may feel dizziness and fatigue while trying to stand up.

She has now warned other teens not to try such challenges that may prove fatal for them. "I want to try and make people more aware not to do it, because it could end in someone getting hurt," she added.

Platt was lucky to have survived the TikTok challenge, but there have been cases wherein children were not so lucky.

Archie Battersbee, a 12-year-old boy from Essex, was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious with a ligature over his head in his mother's bedroom in April this year, per The Mirror.

The boy suffered "catastrophic" brain damage and died after a months-long legal battle that his parents had to fight to keep him on life support. His parents tried everything, but his life support was withdrawn on August 6.

His mother, Hollie Dance, claims that the viral "Blackout Challenge" on TikTok claimed her son's life. A "Blackout Challenge" encourages people to hold their breath until they pass out. People often use shoelaces or power cords to choke themselves as part of the challenge.