Social media trends have become a cornerstone of internet culture for the past decade. They often consisted of harmless dances done for fun in the hope of joining a viral trend. However, these trends can take a nefarious form as they can influence a younger audience to partake in activities that can put them in danger. That is the case for ‘Chroming’, a TikTok trend that has grown in popularity and has already led to three teens passing away. So what is ‘Chroming’? Here’s everything you need to know.
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The origin of chroming
According to Express, Chroming involves ‘inhaling toxic chemicals to create a temporary high’. The term originated from the practice of inhaling chrome-based paint which used to be an accessible way to get high. The term now extends to sniffing aerosol cans, glue, solvents and even gasoline.
The effects of chroming
The process quickly induces hallucinations and euphoria that come with dizziness, nausea, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness and can even be fatal. The chemicals inhaled travel through the bloodstream to the brain creating a period of intoxication that normally subsides quickly. However partaking in ‘chroming’ can induce heart attacks, seizures, comas and sudden death.
Unfortunately, this trend already counts some casualties as in 2022, 14-year-old Giorgia Green purchased a deodorant can which she prayed around her room and was later found dead under a blanket covered in the aerosol. In March of this year, Australian 13-year-old Esra Haynes also passed away under a similar chemical exposure while at a sleepover. According to Dexerto, the teenager suffered ‘irreparable brain damage and cardiac arrest and was hospitalized for a week before passing away’. Furthermore, this past September another teenager passed away as a possible result of this TikTok trend. Sarah Mescall was admitted to the hospital and passed away 3 days later after collapsing after potentially ‘Chroming’. She was placed in a medically induced coma before succumbing to her injuries according to Dexerto.
These cases show the horrors that such a trend can inflict and should push parents to be more vigilant of what goes on in social media and most importantly to educate their children on mind-altering substances and the dangers they pose especially on developing minds. TikTok has taken actions to prevent the spread of such trends, removing hashtags and videos of the content but the size of the application means things have room to slip under the radar.
Read more:
⋙ Teenager dies after trying TikTok's viral 'One Chip Challenge'
⋙ UK politician issues warning to delete TikTok over security concerns
Sources:
Express: Urgent warning as TikTok trend giving teenagers heart attacks - 'children die immediately'
Dexerto: What is chroming? Viral social media challenge explained as 13-year-old dies
