Boy, 12, dies in social media challenge as heartbroken family warn of the unknown horrors of the online world
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a social media challenge, with his heartbroken family warning about the dark side of the web.
Sebastian was at home celebrating his little brother's First Holy Communion in Castleford, West Yorkshire, before he was found unresponsive.
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Sebastian was only 12 years old
Credit: GoFundMe
2
The boy was sadly pronounced dead, despite best efforts to save him
Credit: © YappApp
Emergency services scrambled to the home at 6:06pm on Friday.
The boy was sadly pronounced dead, despite best efforts to save him.
Sebastian's father Marcin believes his son died while attempting a viral TikTok challenge with a scarf.
A
It reads: "A boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent. He taught himself to play the guitar and keyboard, and he loved to draw.
"Always smiling, kind, and full of joy — everyone who met him was touched by his gentle spirit.
"He had loving parents who did everything they could to give him a safe and happy childhood. They would have given him the stars.
"Sadly, one brief moment changed everything. A dangerous internet challenge took his life."
Most read in The Sun
It pleaded: "Talk to your children about what they do online.
"Ask what they watch, who they talk to, what inspires them. Be present. Don't assume: 'My child would never do that.'
"The online world can be as dangerous as the real one — sometimes even more so."
West Yorkshire police said: "Police were called by ambulance colleagues to an address in Manor Grove, Castleford, at 6:06pm yesterday (27/6) following reports of concern for the safety of a child.
"Officers attended the location and the boy was taken to hospital where it was later confirmed that he had died.
"Enquiries are ongoing on behalf of the West Yorkshire Coroner to establish exactly what happened. The incident is not being treated as suspicious."
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The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Boy, 12, dies in social media challenge as heartbroken family warn of the unknown horrors of the online world
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a social media challenge, with his heartbroken family warning about the dark side of the web. Sebastian was at home celebrating his little brother's First Holy Communion in Castleford, West Yorkshire, before he was found unresponsive. 2 Sebastian was only 12 years old Credit: GoFundMe 2 The boy was sadly pronounced dead, despite best efforts to save him Credit: © YappApp Emergency services scrambled to the home at 6:06pm on Friday. The boy was sadly pronounced dead, despite best efforts to save him. Sebastian's father Marcin believes his son died while attempting a viral TikTok challenge with a scarf. A It reads: "A boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent. He taught himself to play the guitar and keyboard, and he loved to draw. "Always smiling, kind, and full of joy — everyone who met him was touched by his gentle spirit. "He had loving parents who did everything they could to give him a safe and happy childhood. They would have given him the stars. "Sadly, one brief moment changed everything. A dangerous internet challenge took his life." Most read in The Sun It pleaded: "Talk to your children about what they do online. "Ask what they watch, who they talk to, what inspires them. Be present. Don't assume: 'My child would never do that.' "The online world can be as dangerous as the real one — sometimes even more so." West Yorkshire police said: "Police were called by ambulance colleagues to an address in Manor Grove, Castleford, at 6:06pm yesterday (27/6) following reports of concern for the safety of a child. "Officers attended the location and the boy was taken to hospital where it was later confirmed that he had died. "Enquiries are ongoing on behalf of the West Yorkshire Coroner to establish exactly what happened. The incident is not being treated as suspicious."
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Shocking reality of kids mobile use revealed as teens bombarded with 100s of messages & spend 5 hours a day on phones
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Advertisement Read More on UK News Labour MP Joani Reid, who is leading the call for a ban on smartphones in schools, said: 'Hundreds of messages a day isn't just about distractions in school — it's about safety. 'Every notification could expose our kids to serious dangers — grooming by predators, cyberbullying and graphic, harmful content. Apps like Snapchat and TikTok often shield these interactions from parents, leaving teenagers vulnerable and isolated. 'We need tougher regulations forcing tech companies to prioritise child safety over profit. Parents alone can't monitor every message or app — Government and schools must step up.' Addictive apps A new study has found that the average secondary school pupil is on their mobile for five-and-a-half hours each day. Advertisement Most read in The Sun If they keep that up, they could spend up to 25 years of their lives staring at a phone screen. And 68 per cent of youngsters polled by Fluid Focus said their academic performance was affected by their smartphone use, with 40 per cent admitting to constantly checking their mobile while studying. Snapchat streaks: How to get back a lost streak and how to report a problem Popular teenager Art McGrath, 16, from Leyton, East London, had the most smartphone traffic of all the youngsters we tracked — receiving a staggering 2,493 messages in seven days. His notifications comprised 2,320 Snapchat messages, 112 WhatsApp chats and 61 Instagram alerts. This averages out to 356 messages a day. Advertisement Art said: 'Snapchat is the main messaging app. I've been on it since I was around 12. Everyone is on it. 'I have groups with different friendship groups. I don't give myself phone breaks. If I get a message, I can end up stuck in a loop.' Snapchat is the biggest player in the world of youngsters' messaging apps and is used by 74 per cent of teens in the UK, according to Ofcom. 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This has opened my eyes to how Snapchat works Caroline Dainty While Grace may feel as if constant messaging is key to her friendships, psychologist Dr Charlotte Armitage insists: 'As much as people feel like they're connected through phones, they're not — it's a pseudo-connection. 'We need a connection in real life to feel the benefits. Our relationships are crucial for health and life longevity, so we become more disconnected. 'It's snowballed in the last five years and it's getting worse with AI, because not only are people not talking to other people, in apps they are now talking to bots instead.' Dr Armitage, the author of Generation Zombie, also warned of the addictive nature of messaging apps. Advertisement She said: 'The brain becomes used to frequent stimulation and struggles to focus without it, as it starts to search for the next hit of dopamine. 'This has consequences for a child's attentiveness, interpersonal skills such as listening in conversation, ability to engage in academia or any other activity that doesn't provide a dopamine release at regular intervals.' A study from King's College London found that one in four children has 'problematic smartphone usage', meaning they use their devices in a way that is consistent with addiction. Banned in lessons But none of the teens we polled considered their phone use to be unusual or over the top. They all went to bed with their devices and checked them as soon as they woke. Advertisement Every one of them was allowed to take their handset to school, though the vast majority were banned from using devices in lessons. Some continued to text anyway, while others said teachers didn't enforce the rules. Lottie Taylor, 14, from Farsley, Leeds, received 1,243 messages over a week — 75 per cent of them via Snapchat. 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ART McGRATH, 16 - Leyton, East London 4 Art McGrath, 16, from Leyton, East London gets 2,493 messages a week Credit: Darren Fletcher Messages per week: 2,493 Average per day : 356 Advertisement Platforms : Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram Parent : Dad Nick, 54, a writer, gets around 160 messages in a day, mostly on WhatsApp. LOGAN HOOK, 15 - Pudsey, West Yorks 4 Logan Hook, 15, from Pudsey, West YorksLogan Hook, 15, gets 528 messages per week Credit: Glen Minikin Messages per week: 528 Advertisement Average per day: 75 Platforms : Snapchat and WhatsApp Parent's use: Mum Kirsty, 44, a doctor's receptionist, gets around 55 messages a day, mainly on WhatsApp. LOTTIE TAYLOR, 14 - Farsley, Leeds 4 Lottie Taylor, 14, from Farsley, Leeds receives 1,234 messages per week Credit: Glen Minikin Advertisement Messages per week: 1,234 Average per day: 178 Platforms : Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok Parent's use: Mum Lydia, 43, has around 186 messages a day on WhatsApp, texts and Instagram. Advertisement 'Getting more addictive' By Daisy Greenwell, Founder of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood THE amount of messages these kids receive is staggering. I was also struck by how long teens are maintaining their Snapchat Streaks for. These findings make me particularly angry because it's a design seemingly aimed at keeping kids on their phones for as long as possible. Children are being manipulated into staring at a rectangular screen when they could be out discovering the real world with real friends. The amount of time kids spend with friends has plummeted since 2010, when they started getting smartphones, while cases of teenage anxiety, depression and self-harm have skyrocketed. Seven in ten students believe phone use has harmed their academic performance. It's not surprising! Studies show it takes 20 minutes to refocus after your attention has been broken. If that's happening hundreds of times a day, that's a large portion of your day you're not focused on what you're doing or what's happening around you. Phones will not stop getting more addictive unless change happens. We are working with politicians to pressure the Government into stopping profit-driven companies from infiltrating our kids' minds.
