Lucas Howson, from Cleethorpes, was left covered in blood and in hospital after the challenge went wrong
Howard Lloyd Regional content editor and Eleanor Ovens
12:40, 16 Sep 2025Updated 12:54, 16 Sep 2025
Mum Amy Howson, 33, with son Lucas Howson, 13(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A teenager sustained a brain injury and almost severed his tongue while participating in the viral ‘tap out’ challenge. On the evening of July 17, Amy Howson received a distressing call informing her that her son, Lucas, had lost consciousness in a park while hanging out with friends.
In a state of panic, the mother-of-three hurried to the park only to find her 13-year-old son bloodied and disoriented, unable to recall what had happened. After speaking to onlookers, the 33-year-old learnt that Lucas and his mates had been engaging in the ‘tap out’ challenge, which involves putting each other in headlocks.
This perilous so-called ‘game’ entails placing someone in a chokehold and squeezing their neck until they are on the brink of fainting – a trend that has gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok.
The challenge came under scrutiny in 2023 when a Scottish teen tragically lost his life after partaking in the lethal game at school. Amy found out that Lucas had blacked out for 20 seconds and nearly cut off his tongue after hitting his chin on the ground.
Amy found her son bloodied and disoriented, unable to recall what had happened(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
The healthcare assistant immediately rushed her son to hospital where medics confirmed he was suffering from amnesia due to a head trauma. Now, Amy is committed to raising awareness about the potential hazards of social media trends, following Lucas’s close brush with severe injuries.
Amy, from Cleethorpes, recounted the harrowing incident involving her son: “Lucas had gone out and played with his friends. He’s got a good set of mates. He’s quite independent. I got a phone call from my sister who’s the same age as Lucas and she said that Lucas had been in a fight. They’re very close.
“She said Lucas is on the floor, unconscious and he’s all cut up. I jumped in my car and got a phone call from a woman at the park to say she was with Lucas and he’d bit through his tongue. (When I got to the park) he was crying, he had blood all over his face and all down his top. I was shaking asking what had happened.
“He wasn’t making any sense. He kept repeating himself. He didn’t know where he was. He was very confused, which shocked me the most. He kept asking what had happened. There was no normal conversation. He kept forgetting that I had told him what happened.”
Lucas nearly bit through his tongue after trying the viral ‘tap out’ trend(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
After speaking with bystanders, Amy learned that Lucas had been caught in a headlock due to a social media dare, without the opportunity to ‘tap out’, leading to his fall and injuries. Lucas was bloodied after his chin struck the ground and he bit through much of his tongue.
Reflecting on the aftermath, Amy said: “I was told he was unconscious for 20 seconds. His friends were all absolutely distraught. Luckily there were some first-aiders there. When I asked him about it, he said he didn’t want to get told off. The challenge is something that’s going around.
“He said ‘we always do it’. He said everyone’s doing it around school. They’d been play-fighting, taking turns to get each other in headlocks. I told him that could’ve been fatal. I think he’s seen it on social media. He’s not a naughty child, he’s got a good set of mates. You just don’t know with kids, they stumble across these videos and think they’ll try it.”
Amy rushed Lucas to A&E where medics confirmed he had sustained amnesia and severed three quarters of his tongue. Fortunately, Lucas has made a complete recovery, though Amy believes stronger oversight should exist on social media platforms to stop youngsters accessing these dangerous trends.
Lucas was hospitalised after trying the viral ‘tap out’ trend(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Amy explained: “I think it’s scared him. I said to him this is so dangerous and can’t happen again. He could’ve lost his tongue. I think whoever’s doing these challenges are very stupid. Don’t try them. I know when you’re a kid you think you’re invincible. These videos should definitely be reviewed.”
TikTok states the platform prohibits content displaying or encouraging hazardous behaviour and actively works to identify, assess, and remove material breaching their guidelines.
The app has developed technology that notifies safety teams about sudden spikes in rule-breaking content associated with hashtags to help spot potentially dangerous trends. TikTok asserts that from January to March 2025, of the videos removed for violating their dangerous activities and challenges policy, 99.8 per cent were proactively taken down and 97.5 per cent were removed within a 24-hour period.