The “comma game”, a viral challenge on TikTok which involves delivering sharp blows to the back of the neck or the back of the head, has caused at least one victim in a Montreal school. Alerted by a recent “incident”, the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) has made its officers aware of this trend which “can have serious consequences for victims”.
What there is to know
The “comma game”, also called “houlisday”, consists of hitting a person on the back of the head to elicit a surprised reaction which can then be broadcast on social networks, particularly TikTok.
Several cases of injuries have been reported among young people in Europe in recent months, some leading to complaints to the police.
An “incident” linked to this “game” having recently been reported to the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM), it alerted its officers who work with schools.
The SPVM invites “any victim or witness” to contact 911 or their local station.
“Several young people were hospitalized in Europe and one case was recorded in Montreal,” indicates an internal SPVM note consulted by The Press.
“This information message was sent to police officers by the Multidisciplinary School Intervention Team (EMIE), mainly to those who work with school partners, in order to inform them and raise awareness on this phenomenon. Let us emphasize that this “game” can have serious consequences for the victims,” explained a spokesperson for the SPVM, Caroline Labelle, by email on Tuesday.
« Un incident relié au “jeu de la virgule” » […] was recently reported to the City of Montreal Police Department,” confirmed M.me The beautiful.
The SPVM did not provide any details on this case and did not want to indicate whether a complaint had been filed.
At the Montreal Children’s Hospital and at the CHU Sainte-Justine, no consultation of young victims of this “comma game”, or of blows to the back of the head received from another young person, has been recorded, indicated these establishments on Tuesday.
“This practice can cause serious damage, among other things to the cervical area,” reports the SPVM internal note, according to which “this trend is gaining popularity in Quebec and in Montreal.”
Cases reported in Europe
Several cases of young people injured in this way have been reported in the European media, particularly in France. Some of these attacks resulted in medical consultations and complaints to the police.
The blows inflicted can cause “up to a cervical sprain, or even a fracture,” the DD Brigitte Virey, president of the National Union of French Pediatricians. “If there is pain, if the child has difficulty moving his head, you should not hesitate to see a doctor,” advised the DD Virey.
According to her, the practice is “not harmless at all” and “can go as far as paralysis”.
In Montreal, the warning formulated in the internal SPVM note was relayed to school principals and partners in the school community.
“The socio-community agents were invited to circulate the information because at the level of partners in the school environment, not everyone is aware of this “game”,” explained M.me The beautiful. “We invite any person who is a victim or witness of actions that could harm their health or safety to contact 911 or their local station,” she continues.
This viral challenge has also raised concerns in Outaouais. The Outaouais Education Union (SEO) sent an internal note to the delegates of its establishments, in order to encourage them to condemn these “unacceptable” actions of which teachers have witnessed or been victims, reported The right last month.
Calling all
Has a young person around you been a victim of the “comma game”? Write U.S.