A 13-year-old passed away after participating in a viral TikTok trend called Chroming
TikTok is the melting pot for the most bizarre online trends. By reaching 1.6 billion users in 2022, this platform has become home to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who participate in various trends, sometimes taking them too far. Chroming is one of those trends that has led to the death of a 13-year-old Australian teen.
Here’s everything about this trend that readers should about chroming.
Teen parents warn everyone
13-year-old Esra Haynes was an 8th grader born and raised in Australia. On March 31 2023, she passed away due to chemical exposure at a sleepover. Haynes participated in the new TikTok trend known as chroming, where she sniffed aerosol deodorant.
Suffering irreparable brain damage due to the activity, she went into cardiac arrest. As a result, she was hospitalized, only to pass away after a week. Her parents are warning other parents and teens to beware of the risks of chroming which is growing popular online.
Paul Haynes, her father, emphasized during a TV show that his daughter wouldn’t have taken part in this activity if she had known that it could take her life. Andrea Haynes added that the consequences are so grave for their family as they have no child to bring back home.
Chroming: a drug fad
Chroming is an informal Australian term that describes the act of sniffing toxic fumes such as paint container or aerosol can. Users on TikTok post chroming videos with the hashtag WhipTok – a slang for recreational intake of nitrous oxide. The trend has more than 546.3 million views.
The Australian National Retail Association shared that the original term referred to inhaling chrome-based paint to get high. Today it has expanded to include other toxic chemicals such as permanent markers, aerosol cans, deodorants, paint, hairspray, nail polish remover, solvent, gasoline, cleaning supplies, glue and nitrous oxide.
The after effects of this temporary high are severe, including suffocation, heart attack, fatal injury, choking, coma, seizures and, in some cases, permanent organ damage.
Cognitive impairment is also possible with long-term abuse. People can also struggle to concentrate, have lower IQ, face memory loss and experience impaired judgment.
This isn’t the first time a trend has gone out of proportion on TikTok. There have been many instances of dangerous trends that originated from TikTok.
Calle Ocho News urges everyone to stay safe. We bring the latest and newsworthy current updates on what’s happening digitally and locally. Subscribe to get news in your inbox.
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