Parents Warn of Online Dangers After Teen Dies Following an Allege Social Media Challenge
A Southern California family is grappling with an unimaginable loss after their teenage son died earlier this month in what his parents believe was a dangerous social media challenge gone wrong.
According to KTLA, 13-year-old Nnamdi Glenn Ohaeri Jr., was found unresponsive in his bedroom in Murrieta on the morning of Feb. 3—just hours after watching the Grammy Awards with his family.
“We came home, they showered, we were watching the Grammys, he was excited that Kendrick Lamar was sweeping all the categories,” Ohaeri, Sr. recalled.
After discovering his body, Ohaeri Jr.’s, mother, whose name was not released, immediately performed CPR while his father, Nnamdi Ohaeri Sr., sought help from a neighbor and contacted emergency responders. The teen was later pronounced dead.
While the initial circumstances suggested a possible suicide, Ohaeri Jr.’s parents have doubts. Their own investigation led them to believe he had attempted a dangerous social media challenge, similar to the “Blackout Challenge” that previously resulted in multiple child fatalities and lawsuits against TikTok.
The challenge reportedly encourages participants to make themselves unconscious, which has often been met with fatal consequences.
The outlet also noted that the teen had strict parental controls on his phone, leading the parents to believe their son may have learned about the challenge from his classmates at school.
In the wake of their son’s death, the Ohaeri family is determined to raise awareness about the hidden dangers young people face—not just on social media but through peer influence.
“As a parent, I’ve always been mindful of outside influences,” Ohaeri Sr. told KTLA. “We talk about drugs and other dangers, but we don’t talk about not following social media trends or playing these so-called ‘games.’ And maybe we need to.”
A GoFundMe campaign, which has raised over $75,000, describes the young boy as a “vibrant, kind, loving, beautiful young man, a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a friend, a teammate, a bandmate, a leader, an athlete, who had a passion and incredible talent for football who meant so much to so many.”
