11-year-old dies while attempting TikTok trend 'chroming': What is it?
In a heartbreaking incident, an 11-year-old boy named Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington passed away in the United Kingdom (UK) while attempting a dangerous TikTok challenge at a friend's house. The victim's grandmother, who witnessed the tragic event, said he went into cardiac arrest immediately, and despite the hospital's efforts to revive him, he died. Chroming is a social media challenge in which participants sniff toxic fumes from a toxic source, such as paint thinners, aerosol cans, or glue, to get high.
Boy reportedly died on March 2
The Times of London reported that the boy passed away at his friend's residence during a sleepover on March 2. Meanwhile, TikTok has reportedly turned off search results for "chroming challenge." However, Yahoo News alleged that chroming videos were uploaded to the platform in February of this year, and at least one of them has reportedly had more than 700,000 views.
All you need to know about 'chroming'
Chroming is a risky recreational activity that involves inhaling hazardous household chemicals, as per the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. These chemicals include nail polish remover, hairspray, aerosol deodorant, lighter fluid, gasoline, spray paint, and permanent markers. According to the American Addiction Centers, it can lead to adverse effects like vomiting, cardiac failure, dizziness, and brain damage. Whiptok or whippit are the terms TikTok users use for chroming. Content creators use these terms either casually or to get around the ban.
Earlier death of Australian teenager trying chroming challenge
The tragic death of Billington serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with these online challenges. It's also worth recalling that this is not the first fatality as a result of this troubling challenge. In May 2023, a teenager named Esra Haynes in Australia allegedly also suffered a cardiac arrest during a sleepover at a friend's place while trying the chroming challenge.
India banned TikTok back in 2020
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) banned TikTok in India under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act back in 2020. The major step to ban the application in the country came after growing fears of misappropriation of user data by app developers and the Chinese government. Since then, several other nations have joined India in the move to ban the app over similar fears.
