Following a significant incident and Emergency Department attendance on 6th November 2025, we are alerting parents to a potentially dangerous ‘Tap Out Challenge’.
According to Google – the ‘tap out’ challenge on TikTok involves participants placing someone in a chokehold until they tap out, which is then passed on to the next person. This trend has raised concerns due to its potential dangers, including serious injuries and even fatalities.
On 6th November 2025, an incident occurred at a Secondary School (not in Wrexham) where young people were engaged in this challenge. Despite a male tapping out, another young person continued the chokehold. Once released, the young person fell unconscious for approximately 5–10 seconds and sustained significant injuries during the fall. Following further assessment at Ysbyty Gwynedd, a 16-year-old male was found to have suffered an open frontal fracture with pneumocranium, asphyxial brain injury, and a broken nose.
The case has been escalated to North Wales Police, and the young person remains in hospital care. Death by misadventure could have been a very real outcome.
Please raise awareness of the ‘Tap Out Challenge’ and the serious health risks associated with this form of strangulation – which is a criminal offence in its own right, whether as part of a ‘challenge’ or as a form of harm and abuse.
The Institute for Addressing Strangulation offers a wide range of resources and shares a clear message – ‘there is no safe way to strangle’.