Warning: child death
A mother from Rochester, Kent, is urging social media giants to target dangerous behavior on their platforms after her 12-year-old daughter was hospitalized for partaking in the viral “chroming” challenge.
Chroming, also known as “huffing,” involves inhaling the fumes of common household chemicals like hairspray, aerosol deodorant, nail polish remover, or permanent markers, with teens filming their reaction and sharing it online.
Mikayla Solomon had to rush her daughter, Teigan, to the hospital after the young girl experienced heart palpitations and dizziness from inhaling “five or six” aerosol cans with a friend.
A 12-year-old was rushed to the hospital after inhaling several aerosol cans as part of the dangerous “chroming” trend
Image credits: Mikayla Solomon
“I just feel so grateful it wasn’t worse. She could’ve easily gone into cardiac arrest. I could’ve easily lost my daughter that day,” the mother-of-two said.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), certain chemical vapors and toxic fumes produce a high when breathed in. However, inhaling these fumes can be addictive and lead to dizziness, vomiting, and even cardiac failure and brain damage.
“She thought it would just make her and her friend laugh,” Mikayla said of her daughter’s motivation to participate in the trend. “She said her heart was doing palpitations.”
Chroming involves inhaling the fumes of common household chemicals like hairspray and aerosol deodorant
Image credits: Mikayla Solomon
After she discovered that Teigan had inhaled toxic chemicals, she took the 12-year-old to A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital. Doctors then gave Teigan the all-clear, but the girl continued to feel unwell for the next 12 days.
“I thought it would’ve cleared by now after a few days but she was still sick. She was sick every day for 12 days, if it was a bug it would’ve gone in 24 hours.”
“We went back to A&E and they weren’t sure what was wrong with her.”
Teigan’s symptoms included vomiting and feeling “like everything was in slow motion and delayed,” the concerned mother explained.
“I could’ve easily lost my daughter that day,” Teigan’s mother, Mikayla Solomon, said
Image credits: Mikayla Solomon
While this dangerous practice has become increasingly popular on platforms like TikTok, the use of inhalants among young people isn’t new. A U.S. report estimated that 684,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 engaged in huffing or sniffing chemicals in 2015.
Now, Mikayla is pushing social media platforms to control the type of content they allow online in order to protect younger users.
“She’s 12, so she shouldn’t really be on [social media], but all their friends are, so they’re going to see these trends. [The platforms] need to crack down on it.
“Social media influences our children so much. Parents need to know the dangers.
“It’s a really dangerous trend. If you think your child has done this, get them checked— it can cause long-term damage.”
Mikayla urged social media giants to “crack down” on dangerous online trends
Image credits: Mikayla Solomon
Teigan’s case comes after an 11-year-old boy died from a suspected cardiac arrest after inhaling toxic chemicals as part of the social media trend.
Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington from Lancaster died “instantly” after “chroming” at a sleepover with his friends in March, the Times of London reported.
The boy “went into cardiac arrest immediately and died right there and then. The hospital did everything to try and bring him back, but nothing worked. He was gone,” said Tommie-Lee’s grandmother, Tina Burns.
In March, an 11-year-old boy named Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington died after inhaling toxic chemicals
Image credits: Graham Richard Billington
“He had a heart of gold, just like his dad. Our family is utterly devastated.”
Tommie-Lee’s family urged social media companies to “do more” and ban users under the age of 16.
“In fact, we want to get TikTok taken down and no children to be allowed on any social media under 16 years of age. This is breaking us all but we want to help save other children’s lives and give families awareness to keep their children safe,” Tina said.
“Get your kids off social media and the Internet,” someone commented
