Teen dies after playing viral “run it straight” TikTok game

A 19-year-old from New Zealand has died after playing a viral social media game where people are made to collide at full force with other players.

Local media identified the teen as Ryan Satterthwaite, who died in hospital after playing the viral social media game "run it straight."

Satterthwaite was taken to hospital on Monday after playing the game with friends in Palmerston North.

The cause of death has been reported as a critical head injury, which presumably happened when he collided with a fellow player.

The “run it straight” challenge is a rugby-style tackle game where there is a runner and a tackler who are expected to run at each other at full speed.

@torrelltafa Was that legal? 😳 #runitstraight #runit #runitau #runitnz @JohnnyTuivasa-Sheck ♬ original sound - Torrell Tafa

The challenge takes place on a 20m x 4m pitch, otherwise known as a battlefield, to maximize action and intensity, The New Zealand Herald reports.

The game has apparently been a staple in Australia and New Zealand, but has recently become popular after being endorsed by professional rugby players online, the BBC said.

“Run it straight” has gained much attention on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

In one video, a man is seemingly knocked out upon collision with a fellow player, showing just how dangerous this game can get.

@burncity_media Run it MELB & double K.O dayummmmmssooonnnn #fyp #viral #runit #melbourne #runitstraight #knockout #doubleko ♬ So high Mist x Tupac - Hammy Qayyum

The “run it straight” challenge isn’t the first viral game to have deadly and harmful outcomes.

Examples like “the blackout challenge,” which surfaced on TikTok in roughly 2022, lured kids into a deadly game where they would purposefully deprive their brains of oxygen until they passed out, or even worse.

One fatal case reported by Bloomberg involved a nine-year-old child named Arriani who climbed on top of a toy chest, wrapping a metal dog collar around her neck, and hooking it to the wardrobe door.

She was reportedly hanging 2 feet above the ground, desperately trying to free herself, although she was ultimately unsuccessful.

Her brother, who alerted their parents of the situation, later told his parents after Arriani’s burial that they had been playing a game they saw on TikTok.