Despite all the good that social media can do, there are so many dangers it can pose when deadly crazes such as the Tide Pod challenge or the ice and salt challenge go viral.
A new social media trend dubbed “chroming” has claimed the life of an Australian teenager after it left her extensively brain-damaged.
Chroming (also known as huffing or sniffing) involves inhaling toxic chemicals, such as those from aerosol cans, paint, or petrol for a quick high.
It has become the latest trend on TikTok and other social media platforms, and is on an “upward” trend in Australia.
Given that a lot of such challenges on social media end up having a global reach, no matter where they originate, “chroming” has become a worrying issue to parents all over the world.
Esra Haynes, a 13-year-old high school student from Victoria, went into cardiac arrest and suffered extensive, irreparable brain damage after inhaling the chemicals from a deodorant can while at a friend’s sleepover in March, according to a media report.
Her death has exposed the craze, which has gained popularity among teenagers as it is not done using hard drugs.
However, experts warned that chroming can be extremely dangerous and has the potential to cause serious short-term physical or cognitive harm, including sudden death.
The problem with volatile substances is that they have different effects based on their have varied chemical profiles.
But they can still cause serious damage beyond intoxication such as neurological and cognitive impairment. Damage to organs and bone marrow is also a possibility.
Since 2019, two 16-year-old boys have died and another teenage girl suffered brain damage after participating in the trend.
Esra’ parents have blamed social media for her learning about chroming and called for tighter restrictions to avoid kids getting access to that kind of content.
Social media rewards impulsive, outrageous behavior since users are rewarded with attention and acknowledgement by their peers. The more outrageous, the bigger the bragging rights.
Considering that most teens lack the proper ability to think logically about the consequences of their actions, dangerous social media crazes can end up being fatal.
