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Archie Battersbee’s mum says 82 kids have died because of online game which killed her son
Published 10:58 20 Aug 2022 BST
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'People are grooming our children to do these challenges, it’s disgusting'
Archie Battersbee's mum has said that she believes at least 82 kids have died because of the 'blackout game' that killed her son. Hollie Dance called on social media companies to take more action against the dangerous challenge, which involves people choking themselves until they pass out. She found Archie unconscious at their home in Southend on April 7 after he had attempted the challenge. Doctors at Royal London Hospital declared him "brain-stem dead" and said he had suffered catastrophic brain injuries. Speaking to the Mirror in her first interview since Archie's passing, she said: "The social media companies don’t do enough to stop harmful content online.
"It’s out there and people are grooming our children to do these challenges, it’s disgusting. The people – they’re often adults, not children – who are demonstrating these challenges are sick."
Dance said that she recently found footage online of a man in his 30s "demonstrating" how to do the challenge by tying something around his neck and pulling it tight.
“This is a grown man demonstrating this ‘trick’ to children. Those people need to be held accountable. The police and the Government need to work together to stop this," she said.
The government has come under more pressure to bring in laws that to tackle harmful online content such as this.
In 2019, the government laid out its proposals to introduce the Online Safety Bill. But the bill is yet to be passed through parliament.
Lib Dem spokesperson has Jamie Stone criticised the delays to the bill, saying: "It’s more than four years since Conservative ministers promised new laws to tackle online harms, but we’re still waiting. We need clear, tough laws."
A spokeswoman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “The Online Safety Bill will force tech firms to protect children from dangerous viral stunts. Failing firms will face huge fines or have their sites blocked.”
Dance is determined that no other family should ever have to experience what her and her family been through.She added: “That’s the legacy I want for Archie. I want to protect kids and the loved ones left behind. It’s unbearable.”
The family had previously described Archie's death as "barbaric."
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