Schools and child safety authorities globally are raising serious concerns about a rise in dangerous physical behaviours among students, often linked to peer pressure and viral social media challenges.

These behaviours include:

• Choking or breath-holding

• Applying pressure to the neck or head

• Forceful impacts or falls

• Participation in harmful trends such as the “Skull Breaker Challenge”

While children may describe these actions as “jokes” or “games,” the medical risks are immediate, severe, and sometimes fatal.

This is not a disciplinary issue alone.
It is a child safety issue.

Why This Matters

Medical and child protection authorities are clear:
any behaviour that restricts oxygen or blood flow to the brain is inherently dangerous, particularly for children and adolescents whose brains are still developing.

Documented risks include:

• Loss of consciousness

• Brain injury

• Seizures

• Long-term neurological impairment

• In extreme cases, death

Even brief pressure to the neck or head can produce unpredictable and life-threatening outcomes. There is no “safe” duration or level of force.

The Role of Parents and Guardians

Schools play an essential role in supervision and education, but prevention does not stop at the school gate. Parental engagement is critical.

Families are strongly encouraged to:

• Have direct, age-appropriate conversations with children about why behaviours that restrict breathing, blood flow, or involve forceful impact are dangerous

• Clearly reinforce that these actions are not games, challenges, or harmless experiments

• Remain attentive to emotional wellbeing, changes in behaviour, or social pressures

• Monitor online activity, including exposure to viral challenges and peer dynamics

Open, calm dialogue, not fear-based messaging, is one of the strongest protective tools.

School Expectations and Safeguarding Measures

Student safety is a top priority.

Any student found:

• Participating in

• Encouraging

• Filming

• Sharing

dangerous physical behaviours will face disciplinary action in line with the school’s behaviour and safeguarding policies.

Where there is a serious or repeated risk to a child’s safety, schools may be required to escalate concerns to external safeguarding or medical authorities, in the best interest of the student.

Additional Guidance for Families

To support families, an accompanying information flyer is available, outlining:

• Specific risks associated with these behaviours

• Warning signs that may indicate exposure or involvement

• Practical guidance on how to discuss the issue constructively with children

• Steps to take if concerns arise

Parents with immediate concerns about a child’s physical or emotional wellbeing are advised to:

• Contact the school directly, and/or

• Seek medical advice without delay

Early action can prevent serious harm.

Authoritative Guidance and References

This guidance aligns with recommendations from leading child health and safety bodies, including:

• World Health Organization (WHO) – Child and adolescent injury prevention

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Traumatic brain injury and oxygen deprivation risks

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Choking, strangulation, and adolescent risk behaviours

• UK National Health Service (NHS) – Dangers of asphyxiation and head trauma in children

• Child protection and online safety authorities – Risks associated with viral social media challenges

DFO Perspective

Children’s safety requires shared responsibility, between schools, families, and the wider community.

Clear information, calm conversations, and early intervention are the most effective safeguards. Addressing these behaviours directly, without minimizing or sensationalizing them, helps protect children from preventable harm