**9-year-old Texas girl dies after attempting 'blackout challenge' she saw on social media** A **9-year-old** girl from Texas died on February 3, 2026, after accidentally strangling herself with a cord in her family's backyard. The incident occurred shortly after she had shown her grandmother a video of someone else participating in the so-called "blackout challenge" that has been circulating on social media. According to her father, Curtis Blackwell, JackLynn Blackwell was seen playing in the yard before she was found unresponsive with a cord wrapped around her neck. "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," Blackwell told CBS News. He quickly went to investigate and found his lifeless daughter. "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. The Blackwell family has spoken out against the devastating social media trend, urging others to be aware of what their kids are consuming online. "It's not a joke, it's not a game, it's life and death," Curtis Blackwell said. He expressed concerns that many children, including his own daughter, are easily influenced due to their still-developing brains. "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," he added. The "blackout challenge" is a potentially fatal trend that has circulated on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram. It can restrict oxygen to the brain, possibly resulting in seizures, serious injury, or death. JackLynn's death came just days before a landmark trial kicked off in California that seeks to hold the world's biggest social media companies responsible for harms to kids who use their platforms. "There's too many of these kids lost for these companies not to be held accountable in my eyes," Curtis Blackwell said.