Latest news with #viralchallenge
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Schoolboy, 12, dies in West Yorkshire after trying social media challenge as family warn of dangers
A family have warned of the dangers of a social media challenge after their 12-year-old son died trying it for himself. Sebastian, 12, was at home celebrating his younger brother's First Holy Communion at a residential address on Manor Grove in Castleford, West Yorkshire, before being found unresponsive. Emergency services, including Yorkshire Ambulance Service, West Yorkshire Police, and a Yorkshire Air Ambulance, were dispatched to the scene at 6:06pm. The teenager was rushed to hospital in a large police-escorted convoy, but despite efforts to save him, he was sadly pronounced dead. Local residents noted a significant emergency presence, with multiple vehicles responding to the incident. Sebastian's father Marcin suggested his son died whilst trying a viral challenge which involves a scarf. Authorities are continuing their enquiries to establish the full details of Sebastian's death. This heartbreaking incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks posed by dangerous online challenges, urging parents and guardians to remain vigilant about the content young people engage with on social media. 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.' It comes after the parents of four British teenagers filed a lawsuit against TikTok in February over the deaths of their children, which they claim were the result of the same challenge. The lawsuit claims Isaac Kenevan, 13, Archie Battersbee, 12, Julian 'Jools' Sweeney, 14, and Maia Walsh, 13, died in 2022 while attempting it. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Sebastian's family and cover funeral costs. The statement on the fundraiser describes the teenager as 'a boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent'. It added: '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. 'What happened is a tragedy beyond words. No parent should ever have to bury their child. No one should ever endure such heartbreak. That's why we're reaching out today, asking for your help. 'We're organising this fundraiser to support Sebastian's family - to help cover funeral expenses, psychological support, and daily costs that suddenly became overwhelming. Every donation, no matter the amount, is not just financial support - it's a message of compassion: "We're with you." 'Sebastian lost his life because of an online challenge... His parents gave him all the love and care in the world - but that one moment online changed everything. 'So today, we ask you - as parents, guardians, friends: 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. 'Let Sebastian's passing not be in vain. Let it be a quiet call for awareness - a reminder to stay close, to talk more, to protect the ones we love. So that other children may live. So that no other parent has to experience this unimaginable pain. 'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any kind of support - donations, shares, or simply a few comforting words. Sebastian will remain in our hearts forever.'
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Swing time: experts weigh in on TikTok's kettlebell challenge
We've all seen the headlines around the importance of strength training. But if you're not a regular gym goer, it can feel intimidating to know where to begin. What is the difference between sets and reps? How many should you do? What if you don't want to turn into the Hulk? The latest viral fitness trend of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for 30 days might seem like a straightforward way in. TikTokers' videos showing them doing the challenge seem to have struck a chord, racking up millions of views, and promising the regime can flatten your stomach, make your glutes stronger and help with back pain. But experts warn people – especially beginners – to treat the trend with caution. While they encourage people of all ages to start strength training, for some, doing 100 kettlebell swings a day might be an 'injury waiting to happen'. Kettlebell training has been shown to increase muscle mass, which makes your bones stronger, and has been shown in some cases to help reduce fat mass as well as improve back and neck pain, Dr Kim Way, an exercise physiologist and lecturer at Deakin University, says. However, those studies have not assessed doing 100 kettlebell swings a day – typically they have examined some form of kettlebell exercises two to three times a week, Way said. 'There's certainly a lot of difference in … the amount of stress that's being placed on the body, in terms of exercising every day versus having some recovery to allow for the body to essentially adapt,' Way said. A/Prof Justin Keogh, an exercise scientist at Bond University, said the health benefits also depended on the weight of kettlebell used. A heavier weight will help increase strength, muscle power and mass, while doing more repetitions with fewer rest periods will improve strength and endurance, may reduce body fat, and can have cardiovascular health benefits, he said. Kettlebell swings can be advantageous because you have to coordinate different upper and lower body segments and it mirrors the movement patterns that are 'more similar to what life throws at us,' Keogh said. Doing 100 kettlebell swings a day carries the risk of 'going a little bit too hard, too early', Keogh says. 'The chance that your hamstrings, lower back, forearms, etc, are going to feel really tight the next three or four days … is pretty high, and then you might not want to do any exercise over those next couple of days.' Keogh encourages people to start strength training carefully and gradually intensify their workouts in order to minimise their chance of what's known as delayed onset muscle soreness, which occurs when muscles that haven't been used to the level of exertion get quite sore for several days post-exercise. Way also agrees 100 kettlebell swings is 'quite a lot of swinging', especially if done every day. 'What I see with trends like this is that you're getting people excited about an exercise, which is great … but exposing people, especially if they haven't had any exposure to an exercise, that's just an injury waiting to happen because you haven't had the time to allow your body to adapt to the muscle stress, and the joint stress, that potentially this exercise will be placing on the system,' they said. Way is also concerned people might not be developing the correct technique. 'While the kettlebell swing might not necessarily look like a super complex movement – and compared to other exercises, it might not be – but even if you've just got a little part that's a bit wrong, it can put yourself into an area of potential injury.' They encourage people to find resources to ensure that they're using the correct technique. Way also advises if a person is new to exercise, they should listen to their body because if they start to fatigue, 'this is where technique can really quickly break down' and make injury more likely. Our genes largely determine the maximum size and strength of our bones, which is what's called 'peak bone mass', but exercise can also influence whether we reach our full bone mass potential by the age of 25-30. People generally begin to lose bone mass from the age of around 40 onwards. Keogh says it's better to begin resistance training earlier because then your muscle and bone mass will reach a higher peak. 'But again, we do know that regardless of the age that you start resistance training, you will get benefits compared to those people who [aren't].' Way says that types of exercise like yoga and pilates, which require us to use our body weight as a form of resistance, are 'a great way' to get into resistance training. However, people should keep in mind that if they use body weight exercises for their main form of resistance training there probably is a 'ceiling effect' once you are strong with your own body weight. Then using external weights – whether at the gym or finding weights at home through using cans of food or filling backpacks – can be helpful to get some resistance. Way emphasises 'it doesn't need to be a lot' – sometimes the big fear people have is that to do weight training they have to emulate bodybuilders online who are training for two or three hours each time. 'It actually can be pretty simple,' Way said. You can just strip it down, allocating five to eight exercises targeting your main muscle groups (your chest muscles, back muscles and leg muscles), and doing two to three sets, anywhere between eight and 15 repetitions. 'When you're trying to get into exercise, the best form of movement is always going to be the one that you enjoy. Resistance training or weight training is definitely a great one, because it gives you a really big host of benefits,' Way says. Natasha May is Guardian Australia's health reporter Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims What health trend do you want examined? Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
