Jacob James, 11, held his breath for more than a minute before blacking out.

He fell flat on his face and was treated for serious cuts.

The fad is thought to have originated in America where 11 students in Florida were suspended for deliberately fainting.

Now the risky craze has reached Britain – and Jacob’s mother has warned other children not to get involved.

Karen James, of Maidstone, Kent, said: “Children are holding their breath to see if they can pass out. Apparently when a child does this, their friends are meant to catch them. But that didn’t happen when Jacob fell.

“He had some quite nasty cuts because obviously he couldn’t put out his arms to break his fall. When I got to the school, two teachers were holding him up.”

Children are holding their breath to see if they can pass out

Karen James

She added: “They thought he might have broken his nose and a bone in his forehead, but fortunately he was lucky and they were just cuts.”

The incident happened at Greenfields Community Primary School in Maidstone.

Children at the school have all been shown a picture of Jacob’s injuries and told by headteacher Janet Herbert never to try the fainting “game”.