Francoise Cochet: British parents must realise <u>their</u> teenagers are doing this

The afternoon my 14-year-old son Nicolas told me about a "scarf game" he and some friends had been playing in the playground, I dismissed it. I didn't realise that the "game" involved the children risking their lives by starving their brains of oxygen in pursuit of a high.

Later that night, my son tied a judo chord around his neck, attached the other end to his door handle and, accidentally, strangled himself to death.

It is impossible to know for sure how many other children have not only died, but also been permanently injured through playing these so-called games. In France, the jeu du foulard (scarf game) is thought to take at least one child's life every month. Where it can be established, it is recorded on the death certificate. Many times, it is not identified.

In Britain, it never is.

Parents must be educated about the dangers of their children playing these "games", they must know how to spot the signs; Britain must learn from the experiences of France, Spain, Portugal and many other countries who are, only now, waking up to the danger.

The internet does not respect country boundaries, and undoubtedly there are deaths in Britain as a result of these strangling games. Slowly, this is being recognised.

Our association brings together parents of French children who were accidentally injured or killed by strangulation, and has campaigned to raise public awareness of the problem in France. We contact parents, console them, advise them and educate them. Gradually, our campaign for official recognition of the phenomenon in France has succeeded.

Britain needs the same. British authorities need to recognise the problem and begin educating the public, not pass each death off as an isolated case. Some people have argued that teaching children about these games will put ideas into their heads. But children have been playing them for years. Some people we have spoken to claim that they had no idea of the dangers. It is only by understanding them that we can convince children to stop.

If I had understood what my son had been talking about that afternoon, he would still be alive.

Françoise Cochet is president of France's Association de Parents d'Enfants Accidentés par Strangulation