Archie Battersbee: RIP

hobbers said:
You’d think any family going through this would want an enquiry into how social media drove a preteen to be hanging from the top step of a bannister. Not the court system.
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Nothing to do with social media by the sound of it.
 
Penna said:
Poor Archie was essentially dead months ago, if you read the history of the progression of the brain scans (the Court documents are available online). I'm sure any parent in this situation would want everything to be attempted, but having now read a lot about this case online, things are not all as they might seem.
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Were they presumably just a constant flatline in terms of activity?
Damien said:
His tiktok was called "painhub" with a bunch of numbers at the end, constant videos referencing depression. It's all so sad. No doubt in my mind it was suicide (no phone filming, method used) and after their first 30 media appearances they've dropped the mentions of a tiktok challenge to go down this different avenue of they know best and how he would have wanted them to fight for him despite what happened saying otherwise.

RIP Archie. Religious groups are leaping on this like vultures for their own means.
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It does seem extremely dubious that there has been zero follow up coverage on the tiktok 'craze'. You'd expect a few outrage pieces on social media from the DM or whoever.
 
Is there no age limit on Tiktok?

What the hell is a 12 year old doing on video based social media?
 
Eyepopper said:
Is there no age limit on Tiktok?

What the hell is a 12 year old doing on video based social media?
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Loads of 12 year olds are on TikTok. That’s the age a lot of kids get phones and most of them will use TikTok. Wait until your kid gets that age. You’ll be shocked. The lack of control most parents have over their kids phone habits will melt your brain.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Loads of 12 year olds are on TikTok. That’s the age a lot of kids get phones and most of them will use TikTok. Wait until your kid gets that age. You’ll be shocked. The lack of control most parents have over their kids phone habits will melt your brain.
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It terrifies me mate.

Mine are only 6 and 4, but I know its only a matter of time.

They'll be monitored like they're living in 1984.

I've never gotten Instagram, & the concept of Tiktok is just beyond me, and that's as an adult. I can only imagine the impact that shit would have had on my thinking as a kid/teenager, and it would've been nothing positive.
 
Eyepopper said:
It terrifies me mate.

Mine are only 6 and 4, but I know its only a matter of time.

They'll be monitored like they're living in 1984.

I've never gotten Instagram, & the concept of Tiktok is just beyond me, and that's as an adult. I can only imagine the impact that shit would have had on my thinking as a kid/teenager, and it would've been nothing positive.
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It’s easy enough to control your own. The apple iOS means you can lock down an iPhone thoroughly before giving it to your kid. I control the apps allowed, web pages they can visit, total time on the phone, prohibited hours of use etc etc

Then they tell you they were on a sleepover and all the other girls there were on TikTok on their phones all night long. And you hear message notifications pinging on your kid’s phone (which you don’t allow them take in their room) until 1am on a school night. And you fecking despair.
 
Eyepopper said:
It terrifies me mate.

Mine are only 6 and 4, but I know its only a matter of time.

They'll be monitored like they're living in 1984.

I've never gotten Instagram, & the concept of Tiktok is just beyond me, and that's as an adult. I can only imagine the impact that shit would have had on my thinking as a kid/teenager, and it would've been nothing positive.
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All fair, but keep in mind that this probably had nothing at all to do with Tiktok or social media. There are some Satanic Panic-esque reactions going on to "tiktok challenges" and social media in general that we need to beware of, despite all its real dangers.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
It’s easy enough to control your own. The apple iOS means you can lock down an iPhone thoroughly before giving it to your kid. I control the apps allowed, web pages they can visit, total time on the phone, prohibited hours of use etc etc

Then they tell you they were on a sleepover and all the other girls there were on TikTok on their phones all night long. And you hear message notifications pinging on your kid’s phone (which you don’t allow them take in their room) until 1am on a school night. And you fecking despair.
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I've just put them both in the attic.

I'll let them out when they're 21.
 
Reiver said:
Followed this story with sadness. As a father, I can tell you I would have fought tooth and nail against turning life support off, in the hope of a new medical breakthrough or some kind of miracle
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Really? my Dad told me he would have given me a couple of days before switching it off.
 
nimic said:
All fair, but keep in mind that this probably had nothing at all to do with Tiktok or social media. There are some Satanic Panic-esque reactions going on to "tiktok challenges" and social media in general that we need to beware of, despite all its real dangers.
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Yeah, I've deliberately stayed away from the details of this case because I don't want to get sucked into my own judgements on the parenting involved.

I'm probably skirting that by even asking about a 12 year old being on Tiktok, particularly if their account shows a documented descent into depression, so it's probably best that I bow out for the sake of my own mental health.
 
Eyepopper said:
Is there no age limit on Tiktok?

What the hell is a 12 year old doing on video based social media?
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13 is the minimum age for social media sites in their ToS but many kids get on them before they hit double digits and those who don't initially, feel pressure to because their friends are.

You can control the apps used on their phones like Pogue does and limit the times they can use them but for every parent who does this, there's probably five or more who don't and leave their kids with unfettered access to all sorts of stuff unsupervised, either because the parents aren't tech savvy, think their children are 'mature for their age' so are fine or just don't care.

Doesn't matter how mature they are. Their minds are still forming and a hell of a lot of stuff on video based social media isn't good for teens to experience, never mind pre-teens.

With Archie, I'm sure his parents knew his account as his family are big users of TikTok too and as well as posting memes and the references to depression on there, Archie posted his personal progress with regards to his training for his first MMA fight which was scheduled to be a week after his body was found.
 
Damien said:
13 is the minimum age for social media sites in their ToS but many kids get on them before they hit double digits and those who don't initially, feel pressure to because their friends are.

You can control the apps used on their phones like Pogue does and limit the times they can use them but for every parent who does this, there's probably five or more who don't and leave their kids with unfettered access to all sorts of stuff unsupervised, either because the parents aren't tech savvy, think their children are 'mature for their age' so are fine or just don't care.

Doesn't matter how mature they are. Their minds are still forming and a hell of a lot of stuff on video based social media isn't good for teens to experience, never mind pre-teens.

With Archie, I'm sure his parents knew his account as his family are big users of TikTok too and as well as posting memes and the references to depression on there, Archie posted his personal progress with regards to his training for his first MMA fight which was scheduled to be a week after his body was found.
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So being hit / choked, TikTok and depression… not a great mix for any young person is it?

Maybe if it wasn’t a suicide it was some kind of MMA, self choke out challenge, or badly thought out ‘can I get out of this choke’ attempt?

Probably not a popular opinion, but I don’t think MMA is something under 16s should be partaking in at all due to blood chokes etc, and the responsibility that should come with such practices.

RIP mate.
 
Rhyme Animal said:
So being hit / choked, TikTok and depression… not a great mix for any young person is it?

Maybe if it wasn’t a suicide it was some kind of MMA, self choke out challenge, or badly thought out ‘can I get out of this choke’ attempt?

Probably not a popular opinion, but I don’t think MMA is something under 16s should be partaking in at all due to blood chokes etc, and the responsibility that should come with such practices.

RIP mate.
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That’s the first thing I thought, why is a 12 y/o participating in MMA? Absolutely baffling.
 
Jippy said:
Were they presumably just a constant flatline in terms of activity?
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He had no blood supply to his brain, so it died, atrophied and necrotised. Lots of other unpleasant details too, but in short this wasn't a case of a coma or a vegetative state. The ventilator was oxygenating a dead body, essentially.

There was zero chance of him ever waking up.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
It’s easy enough to control your own. The apple iOS means you can lock down an iPhone thoroughly before giving it to your kid. I control the apps allowed, web pages they can visit, total time on the phone, prohibited hours of use etc etc

Then they tell you they were on a sleepover and all the other girls there were on TikTok on their phones all night long. And you hear message notifications pinging on your kid’s phone (which you don’t allow them take in their room) until 1am on a school night. And you fecking despair.
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It was the same with my exes son when he as 10/11. We'd have his phone set up with the parent and would take it off him at bed-time but yeah the notifications would be still be coming in around that time. I couldn't believe it. The other parents just didn't seem to care about it. The kid's in his class preferred method of communication was also a Snapchat group so there was no record of anything said or what images/vids circulated. I felt like I was in the feckin twilight zone. Why does everyone else think this is ok?
 
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Boy, 14, found dead in bedroom by mum after ‘taking part in viral Blackout Challenge'

The devastated mum of a teenage boy found dead in his bedroom said he was attempting the same deadly viral Blackout Challenge thought to have killed Archie Battersbee.

Lauryn Keating, 30, found Leon Brown lifeless last Thursday at their home in Cumbernauld, Scotland, and has spoken out to warn other families about the online game.

Archie, 12, had his life support switched off after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury believed to be as a result of the game.

The ‘Blackout Challenge’ urges participants to restrict their breathing until they pass out, which can cause levels of oxygen in the brain to plummet and spark seizures, or even lead to serious injury or death.

Boy, 14, found dead in bedroom by mum after ‘taking part in viral Blackout Challenge' (msn.com)
 
The Corinthian said:
Boy, 14, found dead in bedroom by mum after ‘taking part in viral Blackout Challenge'

The devastated mum of a teenage boy found dead in his bedroom said he was attempting the same deadly viral Blackout Challenge thought to have killed Archie Battersbee.

Lauryn Keating, 30, found Leon Brown lifeless last Thursday at their home in Cumbernauld, Scotland, and has spoken out to warn other families about the online game.

Archie, 12, had his life support switched off after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury believed to be as a result of the game.

The ‘Blackout Challenge’ urges participants to restrict their breathing until they pass out, which can cause levels of oxygen in the brain to plummet and spark seizures, or even lead to serious injury or death.

Boy, 14, found dead in bedroom by mum after ‘taking part in viral Blackout Challenge' (msn.com)
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Thats sad. Tik Tok should be sued by these parents, hit them with a lawsuit and they may prevent stupid videos like this one encouraging people to strangle themseves.
 
lefty_jakobz said:
Thats sad. Tik Tok should be sued by these parents, hit them with a lawsuit and they may prevent stupid videos like this one encouraging people to strangle themseves.
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Yea, one of the reasons I posted it was to dispel the myth (if there was one) that Archie tried killing himself. I think the reality is they had unfettered use of social media at too young an age. The reality is that this 'challenge' has resulted in two needless deaths.
 
The Corinthian said:
Yea, one of the reasons I posted it was to dispel the myth (if there was one) that Archie tried killing himself. I think the reality is they had unfettered use of social media at too young an age. The reality is that this 'challenge' has resulted in two needless deaths.
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The rest of the thread suggests that there's no evidence at all that Archie did any challenge.
 
hobbers said:
The blackout challenge is the myth.




Because it's easier to accept than suicide. And because all the Christian legal aid (probably) depended on it not being suicide.
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What’s the evidence of suicide?
 
hobbers said:
Where his body was found and the fact he wasn't filming it.

The blackout challenge was not some viral phenomenon sweeping across the world like the tabloid headlines would have you believe. Linking it to Archie's case has changed it from being almost non-existent to actually being in the public conscience.

Since this new tragedy seems like a genuine attempt at it, someone filming himself passing out on facetime with his friends, then his death is the media's fault for putting it out there into the ether.
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You don’t need to have a camera nearby to die from something you see online.

But in any case, you’d want something like this to be in the public domain, the more that people know about the dangers of social media the better.
 
hobbers said:
The blackout challenge is the myth.




Because it's easier to accept than suicide. And because all the Christian legal aid (probably) depended on it not being suicide.
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A myth that has just claimed another life, 14 yr old died trying the blackout challenge.
 
The Corinthian said:
His mum said he did.
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But then they dropped it and never mentioned it again.

If there's evidence then I think we all need to see it.

No doubt there are "challenges" or other seeming "games" that tell you to do things that could result in your death, or even tell you to kill yourself. Kids do need protection. Thought it seems to be a very rare thing.
 
hobbers said:
The likelihood that Archie wanted to take his own life means the two cases are almost identical.

Two kids who were hooked on tiktok/instagram. Both became depressed, probably caused by the interactions they were having online. Tiktok and Instagram algorithms fed them more and more content featuring depression and self-harm, and this had an amplifying affect on their mental health, eventually leading to their suicides.
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You're completely right but if you look at the Corinthian's previous comments today you'd see that they won't be posting it because of what you've pointed out.

The Corinthian said:
Yea, one of the reasons I posted it was to dispel the myth (if there was one) that Archie tried killing himself. I think the reality is they had unfettered use of social media at too young an age. The reality is that this 'challenge' has resulted in two needless deaths.
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hobbers said:
The likelihood that Archie wanted to take his own life means the two cases are almost identical.

Two kids who were hooked on tiktok/instagram. Both became depressed, probably caused by the interactions they were having online. Tiktok and Instagram algorithms fed them more and more content featuring depression and self-harm, and this had an amplifying affect on their mental health, eventually leading to their suicides.
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There’s a lot of speculation here
 
nimic said:
Which mom wants to believe that their kid wanted to die? Whether or not he did commit suicide or try to commit suicide, his mother isn't a reliable source for his intentions.
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I’d say it’s more reliable evidence than @ThierryFabregas saying he read such and such on online forums.
 
So sad, R.I.P to them both.

I think social media as it is now should be banned. It’s toxic garbage and if it hurt the ruling class as much as it hurts ‘normal’ people it’d be considered a threat to society and outlawed.
 
Mr Pigeon said:
I really don't think this is the correct thread for this. You're trying to make a connection where there's no evidence that Archie died attempting a Tiktok trend. His mum saying that it was because of that was something she quickly stopped saying yet it keeps being brought up by other people.
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I mean, my general pov on this case is the dangers of social media. The link I posted speaks to that albeit not a similar type of case.

Edit: and yes I do believe that Archie was influenced by what he saw online and didn’t commit suicide. But I understand others think it was suicide. Generally, male suicides tend to be at a higher age bracket.
 
The Corinthian said:
I do believe that Archie was influenced by what he saw online and didn’t commit suicide
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Is this a roundabout way of saying he was attempting a TikTok challenge?
If not, can you elaborate as it is unclear what you mean.
 
facund said:
Is this a roundabout way of saying he was attempting a TikTok challenge?
If not, can you elaborate as it is unclear what you mean.
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Yea I think he was attempting a TikTok challenge.
 
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