A gamble that could have had dramatic consequences. Several cases of students having played the challenge of the "Indian dream" or "Indian sleep" have been reported in a college of Abbeville (Somme) learned Le Parisien from the rectorate of Amiens, confirming information from the Courrier Picard.
This variant of the "scarf game" consists of hyperventilating, that is to say breathing very quickly for a few seconds, before suddenly cutting off one's breath until fainting. It is not recent, its appearance dates back several years, at least fifteen and has already caused the death of several children. However, the "game" has recently been popularized again by several videos posted on social networks, including TikTok.
Practices that "call for vigilance"
With the Parisian, the academy of Amiens confirms that "5 or 6" reports have been reported since the beginning of the school year on all the establishments of the three departments of Picardy. "These few reports relate to discomfort or observations of dangerous gestures identified as being related to the game of the Indian dream, or the game of the comma," we are told.
"This volume is very residual, but it allows us to identify that such practices or experiments currently exist in playgrounds, without being generalized, and which call for vigilance," insists the Amiens academy. The rectorate encourages schools to call for vigilance and to raise awareness if necessary, parents of students. "A communication to this effect was made Wednesday with our school heads and principals," we are assured.
In Morbihan, another case alerts the academy
This case in the Somme is not the only one recorded recently. A student of a college of Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) made a discomfort on September 19 at midday within his establishment, revealed this WednesdayFrance Blue Armorique. The girl was very quickly taken care of by the Samu and taken conscious to the hospital.
According to France Bleu Armorique, she was able to return to college the next day "without sequelae" and a letter was sent to parents to invite them to be vigilant. "The next morning, we went to all the classes to inform the students. (...) These are also the years when we flirt a little with the limits so we wanted to stop this very quickly, "insisted to the radio Patrick Duprey, the principal of the college. Contacted Wednesday by Le Parisien, the rectorate of Rennes has not responded to our requests at the time of writing.
A filter set up by TikTok but...
The social network TikTok has set up a blocking of videos under the tag "Indian dream": when you search for these words a warning appears immediately to urge caution. "Your safety is important. Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated. Learn to recognize them to protect your health and well-being, "says the Chinese social network.
A warning sent on TikTok when a user searches for the name of a potentially dangerous "challenge".
In addition, the page links to advice to encourage its users to "stop, think, decide, act" in the face of videos that can relay dangerous behavior. No video is also accessible and does not show the famous "challenge".
But blocking is not very complicated to circumvent. By typing its other name, "Indian sleep", we come across dozens of videos that show teenagers indulging in this practice and accumulating several hundred "likes".
