'It's dangerous. You should stop doing it'
EUGENE, Ore. -- South Eugene High School administrators are warning students and parents about a dangerous teen trend called the "choking game."
It's a trend that's become more popular among teenagers and there are several internet videos of teens choking themselves - or their friends.
The so-called game involves people choking or pressing on their chest to cut off their air supply until they faint. Some say it creates the feeling of a euphoric, momentary "high."
This game is dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control estimates 82 people have died from the choking game between 1995-2007.
Some students at South Eugene High School said this trend swept through campus last week.
"You got really dizzy, and you fell over and blacked out and you woke up and you were confused a bit and then you just understood," said one student, who KVAL has decided not to identify. "I didn’t think it was that much fun, but a lot of friends love it."
That same student says her friends have also played this game. "They think it's fun and they wake up and it's like 'oh you kinda have a natural high.'"
Another student says he and friends record the choking game on their phones. "They show us the videos after. It's kinda fun to watch."
Principal Randy Bernstein says he recently found out about the choking game.
"We hadn’t heard about it here at South until this last weekend. I received a couple of e-mails from a parent whose student had heard about what other kids were talking about and or doing. And another from a staff member," said Bernstein.
Bernstein took immediate action. On Monday, he sent a message to parents and students in a weekly electronic e-mail letter.
"I just wanted to get some information out to our parents and teachers so we could hopefully use education as a good weapon against students doing this kind of risky behavior," said Bernstein.
Part of the letter reads: "Recently we were alerted to a fad that evidently has touched down at South Eugene High School, and it has potentially dangerous or even fatal consequences....Please consider talking with your student about the dangers of this behavior."
Bernstein says some of the teachers at South Eugene High School have spoken to their students about the severity of this game. Student Lena Schulz - who has not played this game before - said her teacher talked about the choking game Wednesday.
"We had class and we went over the dangers. She said 'if you know anyone, tell them it's dangerous and you should stop doing it," said Schulz.
Bernstein also says he talked to students who admitted to have participated in the choking game, and he educated those students about the consequences of their actions and spoke with their parents.
"To me, that was an example of ‘okay weve got people together talking heart to heart with information about this' and then by the end of the discussion, students understanding that this is something we should be concerned about," he said.
