Link between TikTok boat jumping challenge and drownings ‘overblown’, authorities say

Authorities in Alabama say there is no evidence of a link between recent drownings in the state and a viral TikTok boat jumping challenge.

Jim Dennis, of the Childersburg Rescue Squad, was last week quoted by a local news outlet as saying that the challenge had led to four “easily avoidable” drowning deaths in the state.

“That is a very big concern because we have seen this pattern emerge over the last two years and it’s sporadic, but it’s something that needs to go away and stay away,” Mr Dennis told the news agency.

After the story was widely picked up by media, including the Today Show, Mr Dennis told AL.com the comments attributed to him had been blown “way out of proportion”.

He told the news outlet that two Alabamans had died recently after jumping from boats, but he had no idea whether they were connected to the social media site.

“If there’s data supporting that, I don’t have that,” he told AL.com.

Mr Dennis added that a cause of death would have to be determined by a coroner.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division said they had no record of deaths being tied to TikTok trends.

Mr Dennis said he had issued a safety warning after several recent deaths in Alabama.

In one instance in February, a father died while attempting the challenge with his wife and three young children on board the boat which was recorded.

The most recent death came in mid-May, he said. All the fatalities were male, he added.

Mr Dennis emphasised to AL.com that boat jumping could be deadly, and urged family and friends to encourage their loved ones not to try it.

“There is a TikTok challenge, but I do know jumping off of a moving boat is nothing new,’’ he said.

“As far as TikTok, there’s not a challenge on there that’s any good.”

TikTok, which claims to have 150 million users in the United States, has previously faced backlashes for promoting dangerous viral challenges.

One trend, known as the “Borg” challenge, involved drinking a combination of alcohol, electrolytes, caffeinated flavoring and water in a jug.

The cocktail was supposed to allow drinkers to stay hydrated while drinking alcohol, and stave off hangovers.

But it reportedly led to the hospitalisation of two dozen University of Massachusetts Amherst students due to binge-drinking.

Fears that TikTok’s owners ByteDance was sharing users’ private data with the Chinese government led the app to be banned on government devices in about half of US states.

Montana became the first state to declare an outright ban in May.

* This article was updated on 11 July to reflect new information issued by water safety officials in Alabama.