A French teenager was rushed to hospital on Thursday morning after falling victim to the “comma game”, in which a person is surprised from behind by suddenly moving their head. This is the latest victim of this challenge popularized by TikTok that is worrying many parents in France.
The management of the high school where the young woman studies sent a message to the parents of its 1,800 students, informing them that it had “learned of the hospitalization of a student after the ‘comma game’.”
“It appears that this challenge, particularly traumatic in the cervical spine area, is in vogue at the high school and neighboring colleges,” the institution continues in its clarification. Given the seriousness of the medical consequences, the penalties against the perpetrators of this unacceptable act will be severe.”
The high school student should be able to go back to school this Friday.
This is the third confirmed case of the “comma game” in France. French media reported that several schools had called for vigilance following complaints from parents. The teenager’s hospitalization proves the risks of such a practice.
“It is an extremely dangerous game,” the president of the French Union of Osteopaths, Philippe Sterlingot, told Télégramme. The neck region is a very sensitive area […] With such a gesture and the element of surprise, there may even be a risk of spinal cord injury.”
Several internet users decided to post prevention messages to discourage young people from participating in the challenge. Note that some “Comma Game” videos have hundreds of thousands of views.
According to information from Le Parisien