“The biggest thing is for parents to not be like, ‘this couldn’t or wouldn’t happen to me,” said Erath County resident Curtis Blackwell on the loss of his 9-year-old daughter. “We never in a million years thought this could ever happen to us and look where we’re at now. Our beautiful daughter JackLynn Kaye Blackwell is no longer with us. She is now a beautiful angel in heaven with Jesus and we will see her again one day when we get there.”
Though her time on Earth was short, JackLynn was known through her family, Hook Elementary School and Timber Ridge Church as a child with an infectious laugh who earnestly cared for others and battled through initial shyness to make genuine friendships.
The community has come together in remembrance of her after her life was cut tragically short in early February in an accident involving ‘the blackout challenge,’ an extension of the ‘choking game.’ The Blackout Challenge reached worldwide attention in 2021 after a 10-year-old girl in Palermo, Italy had died with investigators tying it to dangerous videos targeted to minors. TikTok was blocked for minors under 13 following the report although the company denied finding videos on its service related to the challenge.
Alliance for Hope describes Blackout Challenge as one of the pseudonyms for The Choking games and defines it by saying: “The Choking Game is not really a game at all – it is a strangulation activity in which children and teenagers cut off oxygen circulation to the brain to achieve a brief sensation of euphoria or a ‘high’ when they lose or nearly lose consciousness. This may be through the use of a rope, belt, scarf, hands, or arms around the neck. It can also be achieved by breath holding, and then having pressure applied to the chest by a shove or tight hug.”
Since the first report, TikTok has faced multiple lawsuits related to the challenge including one filed by the mother of a 10-yearold girl from Pennsylvania (who had reportedly seen the ‘game’ on TikTok and YouTube) and another in 2025 from parents of four children in the UK whose deaths were linked. The Independent reported by the end of 2022 that the Blackout Challenge was involved in the death of 20 kids, 15 of which were 12 or younger. Videos have been reported on social media since then, sometimes tied to another tragedy.
As a social, creative child who loved to dance and perform, JackLynn used social media-namely YouTube, and she would get on TikTok, Snapchat, and kids messenger.
“She would be on YouTube a lot and we would try pay attention as much as possible to what she would watch,” said Curtis. “But the way these social media platforms work is they create algorithms so you start somewhere that seems good then it just starts creating patterns and takes you to videos that aren’t so kid friendly anymore. And we had so many talks with her about the stuff on social media how the people are real but the videos are not— That there are people acting and that if she did any of that stuff that they’re doing, she could get very hurt or die from it.”
Curtis thinks that the line between fantasy and reality may have been blurred for his daughter, especially since people at younger ages tend to be less scared of risks.
“We had one of JackLynn’s good friends tell us something. [She] didn’t even know little kids could die,” Curtis said. “And something like that makes me think that’s why these kids do all these things they see cause in their mind—they think they can’t die from it. These videos don’t give warnings of what could happen so kids think it’s okay.”
The tragedy behind every report is another unique life cut short with friends and family left to remember their brief time together and mourn the experiences that won’t be.
JackLynn loved making crafts, riding her bike, dressing up and especially singing karaoke. She was an avid fan of crawfish as well as visiting the beach and pier at Port Aransas. She also loved to draw and her parents loved to see her work, remarking on the talent she had.
Wendi remembers with fondness how Curtis had teased JackLynn that the silver alerts she saw on road signs meant a silverback gorilla was loose from the zoo. Their daughter always worried about the loose gorillas when they were on road trips.
Through her service, phone calls and messages, JackLynn’s parents, Curtis and Wendi, have heard countless stories of the lives touched by their daughter. Many told of how she cared for others, encouraging friends in difficult times, offering trademark hugs to the people she loved and giggling at jokes she and her friends would tell.
At her celebration of life, all of her favorite snacks and drinks were provided for everyone to enjoy. Crafting and drawing stations were also set up for friends and family to create something in remembrance of her. For her service everyone wore pink because that was her favorite color. Following the service, they released pink and white balloons.
“Hearing stories from her teachers and her friends from school have helped,” Curtis said. “Her family and friends knew her for her kind soul and for being silly.”
The couple said the support of friends and family, staff from Hook Elementary, Timber Ridge Church, Vance Wade and Lacey funeral home, Cowboy Church of Erath County and the whole community have offered comfort in a difficult time.
Her school is carrying on her memory in activities like a pajama and hat day fundraiser Wednesday, Feb. 25 with kids getting to wear the items to school for a donation to the family. The Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center is also hosting an internet safety presentation for parents at 6 p.m. in the Stephenville High School Auditorium.
When asked if he had any messages for other parents, Curtis said: “Please just monitor your kids’ social media as much as you can if you allow them on it. Hug your kids and tell them you love them as much as you can because you never know when the last time will be.”
They also hope their story can help others be aware of the dangers online.
“These platforms that target our young kids need to be held accountable,” Curtis said. “Our kids need people to advocate for them against this stuff.”
Allianceforhope.org offers the following tips for parents regarding the choking game:
■ Know the warning signs – but remember that children have died the first time they try this
■ Engage and openly communicate with your child about issues that are important to them
■ Promote positive, healthy activities like sports, music, art, dance, volunteering
■ Remember that youth think this is safe – educate your child that it is not
■ Help your child have a response if they are ever asked to play, like “No thanks, I need all the brain cells I’ve got” or “No, it’s stupid and it can kill you.”
■ Consider help from a medical provider and/or call your doctor
The site also reported that in a study called “The ChokingGameonYouTube,” 23% of the videos showed the participant having seizures which are almost certainly from lack of oxygen to the brain. Potential risks include permanent brain damage, problems with memory (and therefore learning), stroke, damage to the retina (in the back of the eye), and death.
For more information, visit https://www.allianceforhope. org/training-institute-onstrangulation- prevention/ resources/the-choking-game