Deadly danger from the pen-catching trend on TikTok

On October 14, the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a warning about a deadly and dangerous game among young people called "pen catching."

According to warning information, social networks are currently spreading the trend of "catching penalties." This is not a sport related to football but a trend that is spreading on social network TikTok.

In many clips posted on social media, when playing this game, one person will press hard on both sides of the other person's neck to seek a feeling of euphoria or "fake high."

The person who is "penned" will be unconscious, even faint, causing people around to have to shake and slap them in the face to return to normal.

The underlying cause of the “pen-catching” trend is that many people, especially young people, want to experience a strong and different feeling. Although the feeling of excitement only lasts for a few seconds, its consequences are extremely dangerous and unpredictable.

Some of the harmful effects of the "pen catching" trend include cerebral anemia, cardiac arrest, vascular and nerve injuries in the neck area...

When playing “catch the pen,” pressing on the two carotid arteries for a few seconds will not cause any danger, but pressing for a long time can cause severe cerebral ischemia. When the brain is not supplied with enough blood, the player can become dizzy, faint or even suffer brain damage.

Brain cells that are deprived of blood for 5 minutes cannot recover. The act of “catching the pen” can stimulate some reflexes in the body, leading to sudden cardiac arrest.

In addition, strong pressure on the neck can cause injury to surrounding structures, including nerves and blood vessels and surrounding soft tissue. In some severe cases, the player can even die.

Health experts warn that when responding to trends on social networks, users need to be extremely alert, carefully research the harmful effects, and put the safety of themselves, their families, and society first.