A 9-year-old Texas girl di£d after accidentally strangling herself during a “blackout challenge”
JackLynn Blackwell choked herself to d£ath in her family’s backyard on Feb. 3, 2026 — soon after she had shown her grandmother a video of someone else taking part in the so-called challenge that has been circulating on social media.
“She goes out to play like she always does, out in the yard. I noticed it’s kind of quiet — quieter than it should’ve been,” her grief-stricken dad, Curtis Blackwell, told CBS News of the grim day.
“Then I saw her kind of around the corner that goes to the carport, saw her hair. I said, ‘JackLynn!’ I thought she was bending over playing ’cause she was always in that area playing, but she wasn’t playing.”
The father quickly went to investigate and found his lifeless daughter with a cord wrapped around her neck.
“I tried to do everything I could to save her. I got her off the cord. I tried to give her CPR until the first responders got there. It was the most terrifying, shocking thing I’ve ever seen,” he added.
“It was horrible to see my daughter in such a vulnerable state because of something so senseless.”
Jacklynn’s parents have slammed the devastating social media trend and urged others to be aware of what their kids are consuming online.
Jacklynn and her parents
“It’s not a joke, it’s not a game, it’s life and d£ath, ” Curtis said.
“Most of the kids are like 9 years old to 14 years old. A lot of kids her age, their brains aren’t fully developed, and they are very easily influenced.”
“There’s too many of these kids lost for these companies not to be held accountable in my eyes,” the dad added.
Video tutorial showing kids how to perform the challenge
JackLynn’s d£ath came just days before a landmark trial kicked off in California that is seeking to hold the world’s biggest social media companies responsible for harms to kids who use their platforms.