An 11-year-old named Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington was tragically discovered deceased in a friend’s residence on March 2 in the United Kingdom, as reported by The Times of London. Billington suffered a suspected cardiac arrest after his grandmother, Tina Burns, reportedly said he participated in the “TikTok craze ‘chroming’” during a sleepover, though local police said his death is currently unexplained.

“I will do everything I can to ensure that your name and your lovely face become the inspiration for saving other children’s lives and preventing other families from experiencing this profound pain,” Burns expressed in a heartfelt Facebook post.

It seems that TikTok has taken action to prevent search results for the “chroming challenge” from appearing. However, it’s worth noting that videos related to chroming were previously posted on the platform in February, with one video even gaining over 700,000 views. This practice has also been observed on various other social media platforms. Chroming has tragically resulted in the loss of another young life in recent years.

In March 2023, Esra Haynes, a teenager from Australia, experienced a terrifying incident during a sleepover with friends. She went into cardiac arrest after taking part in the chroming challenge. Haynes suffered from the inhalation of chemicals from an aerosol deodorant can, leading to her reliance on life support for a duration of eight days and resulting in significant brain damage. Haynes’s family made the difficult decision to discontinue life support, and she passed away shortly thereafter.

Off topic

Chroming, also known as huffing, is a recreational activity that involves the use of inhalants as a drug. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, inhalants are everyday household products that can produce chemical vapors when inhaled, leading to mind-altering or psychoactive effects. According to the DEA, approximately 20% of children have experimented with inhalants by the time they reach eighth grade. When these chemicals are inhaled, they are absorbed by the lungs and then enter the bloodstream, potentially reaching other organs. Using inhalants can lead to cognitive abnormalities that can range from mild impairment to severe dementia.

According to the Australia-based Alcohol and Drug Foundation, regular inhalant use has been found to be linked to high rates of depression, anxiety, and other substance abuse issues. It’s important to note that inhalant use can potentially exacerbate or trigger these disorders, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that inhalants directly cause them. Regular users of inhalants are also more prone to experiencing stressful events, as reported by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.