NEW FREEDOM, Pa. -- Kids call it the choking game, purple hazing or blacking out, Lancaster, Pa., television station WGAL reported.

Some experts believe it is the most under-reported cause of death in the nation. One York County, Pa., family learned about it the hard way.

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Colin Simpson enjoyed his work as an electrician's apprentice and loved music, but his life was cut short at age 19 by something called autoerotic asphyxiation, or AEA.

It is something of which his parents, Gala and Ken Simpson, had never heard.

"A lot of parents -- this is the way it goes. You learn about it from the coroner. Then it's too late," Gala Simpson said.

Colin accidentally hanged himself. He was apparently trying to get a brief high by cutting off his oxygen supply, but he never regained consciousness.

When he was found, his arms were up as if he was trying to free himself.

"He blacked out, slid down the steps. That's how he hung," Ken Simpson said.

"If a child decides they like the feeling near to passing out, that's the beginning of addictive behavior. They'll do it over and over, but the law of averages is going to catch up with them," Gala Simpson said.

Now, the Simpsons want to educate others about the dangers of AEA.

They want parents and children to know that a 6-second high can cost a life.

"The price he paid certainly wasn't worth what he got out of it," Gala Simpson said.

Their message is simple.

"Some things that seem innocent can turn deadly very quickly. When that happens, there's no turning back," Gala Simpson said. "I will never forget him. I will always have a 19-year-old son, always, because when his heart stopped, my love didn't."

The Simpsons said one of the most disturbing things about this is that its victims think they'll be able to untie whatever is choking them, but they die before they're able to save themselves.