Boy, 12, dies after taking part in viral ‘chroming’ trend

A 12-year-old boy has tragically died after taking part in a viral 'chroming' trend, an inquest has found.

Oliver Gorman was found unresponsive in his bedroom by his mother, Clare Gillespie, on 4 May, and despite efforts from paramedics, he could not be saved.

After an inquest took place yesterday (23 October), his mother confirmed that there were empty aerosol bottles found in his room, and it was later ruled that he had died as a result of the inhalation of butane gas, something which is found in many deodorant bottles.

Doctors have issued a number of warnings about the dangers of chroming, often referred to as huffing or dusting, after it became an alarming trend on social media sites such as TikTok in recent times.

Chroming refers to the inhalation of chemical-based products, which can have some terrible health impacts, including death, as first-time users in particular can suffer a failure of the heart.

Another 13-year-old boy died from the trend earlier this year, while a young teenager in the US also sadly lost her life after partaking in a 'dusting challenge' and going into cardiac arrest.

Oliver, who was reportedly struggling with the transition from primary school to high school, was described as a 'sweet and lovely family boy' by his grieving mother at the inquest, and she urged other parents to be wary of the dangers of aerosol cans.

Oliver died in May after taking part in the dangerous trend (MEN)

Gillespie said: "He had just 20 minutes in his bedroom and he was gone.

"I didn't know it could kill you, especially that quickly. Just don't buy them.

"I wouldn't want any other parent to go through what we have been through. Every teenage boy gets a Lynx set in his stocking at Christmas, that's what frightens me."

Assistant coroner Andrew Bridgman recorded a conclusion of misadventure, claiming that while Oliver might have been feeling a 'bit low' following bullying allegations at school, there was 'no evidence' to suggest that he inhaled the cans with the intention of taking his own life.

Oliver was described as a 'sweet and lovely young boy' (MEN)

He said: "It strikes me that...this 'Chroming' comes from TikTok challenges. When or how Oliver became aware of this recreational enjoyment, I don't know."

The assistant coroner also suggested that he would be contacting the Culture Secretary to raise 'major concern' with TikTok in particular, with several dangerous trends leading to serious injuries or even deaths among young children.

Bridgman added: "TikTok is a Chinese company that disseminates these challenges quite happily, without any regard to the well-being of those who subscribe to it.

"It concerns me that these life-threatening challenges that go out on TikTok are easily accessible."

Gillespie has now launched a campaign alongside family and friends called 'Oliver's Awareness', which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of aerosol cans and social media crazes such as chroming.

TikTok confirmed to LADbible that inhalant abuse goes back decades and that recent chroming incidents cannot be linked to the social media service.

It also suggested that there is no evidence of this type of dangerous content on its platform, claiming that it does not allow videos showing or promoting dangerous activity or challenges, and 99 per cent of content that does break rules is removed before it is reported to TikTok.

The app also has a 'dangerous acts and challenges' reporting category which makes it easy for people to flag content they may be concerned about, while young users are also shown a video explaining a four-step process for engaging with online challenges.