A GRIEVING dad has issued a warning to parents and other children after his teen son died in a freak accident when attempting a TikTok challenge.
The 13-year-old boy, Jacob Stevens from Colombus, Ohio, was on a ventilator in the hospital for six days before he died from an overdose of over-the-counter medication.
Jacob was just trying to have fun at home with some friends as they filmed him attempting the TikTok challenge, his father Justin exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
"You're looking for a fun or a good time in the beginning, but, well, the outcome's not always fun and games," Justin said.
He added: "My son lost his life trying to have a good time with a couple of his friends and really didn't realize what he was doing."
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Jacob's parents had to make the difficult decision to take their son off of the ventilator after the doctors told them that there was no brain activity coming from the boy.
"It was our son's shell laying there with a machine pumping oxygen into him. He didn't make a move, nothing for six days," Justin said.
While Justin did admit that his son made a "bad decision" to partake in the challenge he said Jacob's death was "a freak accident."
Justin told social media users to not even watch these TikTok challenges.
The heartbroken father warned the kids that came to Jacob's funeral services on Wednesday: "If you hear your friends talking about trying to do something like this or whatever, tell an adult."
He added: "I just tried to express to them to look out for each other and don't talk your friends into doing stuff like that. Talk them out of it."
Justin is currently working to tighten age restrictions on over-the-counter medication and social media platforms like TikTok.
"If it takes me the rest of my life to do something, it's gonna happen," the determined father said.
While the challenge that took Jacob's life didn't originate on TikTok, it has been circulating on the social media platform since 2020, The Independent reports.
TikTok has blocked searches for the challenge with a pop-up that reads: "Be informed and aware."
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"Some substances can be dangerous when used or misused.
"Learn more about how drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can affect your mind, body, and behavior," the site wrote along with a link to their "substance support" page.
The U.S. Sun approached TikTok for comment.
