'Scariest moment of my life' says mum as challenge puts her son in hospital

A DOCTOR is warning young people and parents about the potentially fatal risks of the so-called 'tap out' challenge circulating on social media.

- By DAVID POWELL Daily Post Reporter

It comes after a 16-year-old boy was admitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor with serious head injuries.

The boy, who spent five days on the children's ward, was taken to the emergency department.

He is understood to have become involved in a challenge in which people deliberately restrict their breathing until they “tap out” or lose consciousness.

Now Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) are warning about the risk of “devastating” consequences.

Dr Pete Williams, consultant in emergency medicine at Ysbyty Gwynedd, who treated the teenager, said: “This challenge is extremely dangerous and can have life-changing or even fatal consequences.

“The lack of oxygen to the brain caused by asphyxiation can result in seizures, brain injury, or death even after just a few seconds.