Fourteen-year-old dies after playing online 'game'

MILAN - A ‘game of suffocation’ proved fatal for a 14-year-old boy last week found hanging in his bedroom from a bunk bed with a rope around his neck, police sources said on Thursday.

 Initially thought to be a suicide, investigators examining Igor Maj’s PC and smartphone discovered the boy had watched “The 5 Dangerous Challenges to Get Off Without Drugs” on YouTube.

 Among the “challenges” presented in the video is ‘blackout’ – a game involving the deprivation of air for longer and longer periods until fainting, then regaining consciousness.

 In a plea aimed at preventing other families from experiencing the same tragedy, Igor’s mother said:

 “Do everything possible to make your children understand that they can ALWAYS speak with you. Whatever bullshit that comes to their mind to do, they need to know they can find in you … a guide that can help them to understand if and what risks they haven’t evaluated," she said.

 “We thought we had always done it with Igor, but it wasn’t enough.”

 cc