UK teen suffers brain injury, nearly bites tongue in 'tap out' challenge, mother says

A UK teenager sustained a brain injury and came close to severing his tongue after taking part in a social media "tap out" challenge, his mother told reporters.

Amy Howson, 33, said she received a call on the evening of July 17 telling her that her son, Lucas Howson, had passed out in a Lincolnshire park while with friends. She told Kennedy News that family members arrived to find Lucas unconscious and "all cut up," and that he was confused and repetitive after regaining consciousness.

"He wasn’t making any sense," Amy Howson said. "He kept repeating himself. He didn’t know where he was." The mother said a woman who was with Lucas that night told her the teenager had been participating in what the family described as the "tap out" challenge, which they said is circulating on the social media platform TikTok. The family and media accounts say friends at the scene were distraught.

The incident was reported to outside news outlets and relayed in a New York Post account summarizing the family's description of events. The term "tap out" has been used to describe online stunts that encourage participants to intentionally lose consciousness or simulate being incapacitated; critics have blamed such challenges for promoting risky behaviour among young people.

Social media platforms including TikTok have faced criticism for enabling the rapid spread of dangerous trends, with past episodes drawing attention from parents, safety advocates and some lawmakers. Previously publicized challenges cited by media include the "Kool-Aid man challenge" and the #dropthingsonmyfoot game, which critics say normalize reckless behaviour.

Medical professionals and injury-prevention groups have warned that activities encouraging breath control, choking, or intentional loss of consciousness can cause brain injury, long-term neurological harm or death. The family's account did not include detailed medical records, and the extent of Lucas Howson’s recovery was not disclosed in reports. Amy Howson said she was alerted by a relative who first thought her son had been in a fight, and that the circumstances were chaotic when she reached the park.

The episode has prompted renewed calls from some parents and commentators for closer monitoring of youth-facing online content and for clearer safety messaging about hazardous online trends. Platform operators have said in the past that they remove content that promotes self-harm or dangerous activities and that they provide resources for users who may be at risk, but critics argue enforcement is uneven.

Local authorities and health services were not named in media accounts summarizing the family's statements, and no law-enforcement investigation was confirmed in those reports. The family’s description of the event underscores growing concerns among caregivers about the potential physical harms tied to viral online challenges that encourage risky behaviours among adolescents.

News organizations relaying the family’s account noted the incident as a cautionary example of how quickly risky stunts can spread online and the real-world injuries that may result. The mother’s account to Kennedy News has circulated in national and international outlets as part of broader coverage of social media-driven challenges and youth safety.