I remember some kids in my elementary school playing a game where one girl would hyperventilate and then another would squeeze her around the chest until she passed out. Last week, a ten-year-old Idaho boy was found dead hanging from a tree apparently after playing "the pass-out game" aka "the fainting game" aka "the tingling game" aka the "something dreaming game." Police seem to believe that he's the second Idaho child in recent months to die while trying to play the game alone. From the Associated Press:
Though the so-called game is new to many adults, it's likely something that children have been doing for a long time, said Connecticut-based child psychologist Dr. Lawrence Shapiro, author of "The Secret Language of Children: How to Understand What Your Kids are Really Saying."
"That's scary," Shapiro said.
In addition to talking to kids about drugs and alcohol, parents should discuss other risky behavior, like the pass-out game, Shapiro said…
Nathan Hoiosen, a school resource officer with the Nampa Police Department, said youngsters think the choking game offers a safe buzz compared with drinking or doing drugs.
