'Internet Strangling Craze Spreading In UK'
Children are 'strangling' themselves to get high then sharing the videos on the internet, campaign groups have warned.
Nicknamed "Space Monkey", the practice involves squeezing the carotid arteries in the neck to restrict the flow of blood to the head.
Releasing the pressure leads to a sudden rush of oxygen to the brain, giving a feeling of euphoria. But it can lead to brain damage, un-consciousness and death.
The craze is well known in the US and France and parents and campaign groups fear it is now catching on in the UK.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention claims in the last ten years 86 children may have died in the UK playing 'the choking game'.
There are no official figures for Britain, although the Department for Children, Schools and Families claims it is aware of the problem.
Youtube videos seen by Sky News show youths taking it in turns to squeeze each others necks before appearing to lose consciousness.
In one British video a teenager is seen hyperventilating before having his arteries crushed before passing out.
A YouTube spokesman told Sky News: "YouTube is a community site used by millions of people in very positive ways. Sadly as with any form of communication, there is a tiny minority of people who try to break the rules.
"If content breaks our terms then we remove it and if a user repeatedly breaks the rules we disable their account."
Teenagers are also sharing instructional videos to show others how it's done and using scarfes and ropes to choke themselves. Others are posting Space Monkey reports online.
On a Yahoo forum, Baay, writes: "Just as I passed out I said 'it's so scary'.
"Then I fainted and I started like having a fit or something like shaking, was it a fit? And my eyes were open and rolling back.
"Now everyone is doing it at school, and apparently if I was doing all this I could of died, is that true?"
Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told Sky News: "First you get asphyxia anoxia which is a lack of oxygen to the brain, then you get a sudden rush of oxygen to the brain.
"Children are copying what they see in the videos and think they'll get a similar high to taking drugs.
"It is a significant problem which hasn't yet been picked up by parents and teachers.
"Not only is it difficult to prove how many people have died, we don't know how many near misses there have been."
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK...s_Is_Spreading_In_The_UK_Campaign_Groups_Warn
Children are 'strangling' themselves to get high then sharing the videos on the internet, campaign groups have warned.
Nicknamed "Space Monkey", the practice involves squeezing the carotid arteries in the neck to restrict the flow of blood to the head.
Releasing the pressure leads to a sudden rush of oxygen to the brain, giving a feeling of euphoria. But it can lead to brain damage, un-consciousness and death.
The craze is well known in the US and France and parents and campaign groups fear it is now catching on in the UK.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention claims in the last ten years 86 children may have died in the UK playing 'the choking game'.
There are no official figures for Britain, although the Department for Children, Schools and Families claims it is aware of the problem.
Youtube videos seen by Sky News show youths taking it in turns to squeeze each others necks before appearing to lose consciousness.
In one British video a teenager is seen hyperventilating before having his arteries crushed before passing out.
A YouTube spokesman told Sky News: "YouTube is a community site used by millions of people in very positive ways. Sadly as with any form of communication, there is a tiny minority of people who try to break the rules.
"If content breaks our terms then we remove it and if a user repeatedly breaks the rules we disable their account."
Teenagers are also sharing instructional videos to show others how it's done and using scarfes and ropes to choke themselves. Others are posting Space Monkey reports online.
On a Yahoo forum, Baay, writes: "Just as I passed out I said 'it's so scary'.
"Then I fainted and I started like having a fit or something like shaking, was it a fit? And my eyes were open and rolling back.
"Now everyone is doing it at school, and apparently if I was doing all this I could of died, is that true?"
Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told Sky News: "First you get asphyxia anoxia which is a lack of oxygen to the brain, then you get a sudden rush of oxygen to the brain.
"Children are copying what they see in the videos and think they'll get a similar high to taking drugs.
"It is a significant problem which hasn't yet been picked up by parents and teachers.
"Not only is it difficult to prove how many people have died, we don't know how many near misses there have been."
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK...s_Is_Spreading_In_The_UK_Campaign_Groups_Warn
