A 12-year-old boy tragically died after attempting to replicate a scene from the dystopian Netflix series Squid Game, a coroner's inquest has concluded.
A family celebration turns to tragedy
Sebastian Cizman was discovered unresponsive at his family home in Glasshoughton, West Yorkshire, on the day of his younger brother's First Holy Communion celebrations in 2025. The boy's cousin made the heartbreaking discovery.
Despite immediate efforts by family and later by medical professionals to revive him, Sebastian was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
The dangerous online trend
Assistant coroner John Hobson ruled the death as misadventure. Evidence presented to the hearing indicated Sebastian had engaged in a perilous trend, which involves choking oneself until losing consciousness.
Police examining his phone found an image from Squid Game depicting a character who had died by hanging. Sebastian had shared this very image on a WhatsApp group on the day he died.
His search history also revealed he had watched a YouTube video about 'surviving choking alone', highlighting the alarming influence of online content.
Remembering a 'star of the class'
Sebastian's parents, Marcin and Katarzyna, described their son as a happy boy with no known mental health problems. They were utterly devastated by the loss.
Dr Philip Dore, headteacher at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School, paid tribute to Sebastian, calling him a popular and funny pupil who had been named 'star of the class'.
Katarzyna recounted the day's events to the Daily Mail, explaining the children had been playing on a trampoline before coming inside for ice cream. When Sebastian was missing, his cousin said he had gone upstairs to rest.
"He told them to go and fetch him, and they came back after a few seconds and said 'I don't know if Sebastian's joking or not, but he's lying on the stairs'," she said.
This tragic incident underscores the critical need for awareness about the deadly consequences of online challenges and the importance of discussing online safety with children.
