A "CHOKING game" being played by teenage thrillseekers has claimed the life of a Gold Coast schoolgirl.

Abigail Corthals, 15, was found dead in her bedroom this month with a belt around her neck, the Courier-Mail reported.

Now, her grief-stricken parents want to warn others about the dangerous internet-inspired fad which has reportedly killed dozens of American teens and has now spread to Australia.

"This is a parent's worst nightmare and we don't want it to happen to anyone else," Abigail's father Michael Corthals said yesterday.

"I would not wish this even on my worst enemy."

Mr Corthals and his wife, Francoise, found their daughter slumped against her bed on October 3. Frantic efforts to revive her failed.

At first, they thought she had committed suicide but police found text messages on her phone and in her MSN account which indicated she had been playing the "choking game" also known as the "black-out" or "knock-out" game.

The game, which is reportedly being played in schoolyards and at teen parties, involves young people asphyxiating each other or themselves to achieve a high. The choking produces a brief feeling of euphoria by depriving the brain of oxygen.

Mr and Mrs Corthals said their daughter was a normal, happy teen and dedicated private school student who liked to spend time in her room on her computer.

But they said she was also an "adrenalin junkie" who had skydived, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and planned to go bungy jumping in New Zealand on her 16th birthday.

The Corthals said they had never heard of the "choking game" before their daughter's tragic death.

"If we had heard of it, we would have spoken to Abigail about it and told her 'we hope you're not doing anything that stupid'," a tearful Mrs Corthals said.

Mr and Mrs Corthals found an MSN message indicating their daughter planned to end the game, telling a friend: "We have to stop this now."

"She obviously did it for one last thrill," Mr Corthals said.

"Kids think they are invincible and she didn't realise that the thrill could kill her. It's a silent killer too. There was no warning. Abigail even left her bedroom door open while she was doing it."

The Corthals urged other parents to discuss the "choking game" with their children and warn them of the dangers.

"Parents have to be aware and open with their children," Mrs Corthals said.

Griffith University suicide expert Professor Diego De Leo said many young people flirted with suicide-like, high-risk behaviour such as self-asphyxiation to impress or compete with peers.

"It's extremely dangerous," he said. "People are under the impression that they can control and dominate their reactions which is badly wrong.

"When you start becoming unclear in your thoughts, you clearly have no control."