Duct Tape Challenge: 14-year-old suffers bleed on the brain after viral internet stunt

You might not have heard of the potentially dangerous Duct Tape Challenge, but that doesn't mean your children haven't.

The latest dangerous viral craze sweeping the Internet involves teenagers wrapping themselves in duct tape and then attempting to escape while being timed by their friends.

This might seem like harmless fun when kids are just watching it on YouTube, but teenager Skylar Fish ended up being hospitalised after the stunt went badly wrong.

The 14 year old from Washington, USA, suffered an aneurysm of the brain, had to have 48 staples in his head and lost his vision in his left eye after attempting the Duct Tape Challenge.

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Doctors say that 'He is lucky to be alive' after he fell into a window and crushed his left eye socket – luckily his friends called the emergency services immediately.

Sarah Fish, Skylar's mum, said; 'It's crushed his whole eye socket and pinched off nerves in his eye.'

In a warning to other parents, she reminds them that what teenagers think is just fun and going to 'impress their friends' because they are strong or brave can have unintended and unforeseen consequences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCautHiomUY

The Duct Tape Challenge on YouTube

Sarah added; 'It was really scary, like just seeing my son like this. I want people to stop and think that there are so many risks to any of these challenges. They're dangerous.'

Skylar has now reflected on the incident and says he is just happy that the outcome wasn't worse; 'When I think about it, it seems like I was hit by a car. When I think about it, I become sad. And then really happy. I'm happy because I survived it. Like, I almost died.'

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The teen is still in Harborview Medical centre on the children's ward where he will spend the next few weeks learning to perform basic tasks again as part of the rehabilitation program.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in the challenge since it first began in 2013.