Parents speak out against viral TikTok chroming trend posing danger to kids

The parents of children who have died while attempting the viral chroming trend that was popularised on TikTok have called for more warnings against the trend.

At least two people have died as a result of attempting chroming in the last two years, a trend that involves trying to get high from sniffing aerosol deodorant.

14-year-old Giorgia Green and 13-year-old Esra Haynes both passed away due to heart complications after they tried using deodorant canisters to achieve one of these highs.

The idea of “chroming” first originated from the practice of sniffing chrome-based paint to achieve a high, but it has since expanded to include things like nail polish remover, hairspray, deodorants, and glue, which started going viral on TikTok late in 2022 under the “Whiptok” tag.

Parents call on deodorant companies to prevent chroming

After news of multiple people dying from attempting the trend, TikTok started to remove videos of people attempting it from the site. However, this wasn’t enough action for the parents of victims and healthcare professionals, who are now calling for greater awareness of the damage aerosols can potentially do.

Giorgia’s parents told the Express: “Giorgia might not have died under the same circumstances as Esra in Australia, but we found it very upsetting that someone had died from the same product.

“I really worry about this becoming a social media trend because people can die in an instant – that’s what’s so scary about aerosols.”

Long-term abuse of the drug can also lead to cognitive impairment, including the inability to concentrate, memory loss, impaired judgment, and a lower IQ, according to the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research.

For a complete guide to the chroming trend and why it took off, check out our explainer on how it first went viral earlier this year.