Warning to parents over deadly trend that sees children inhale toxic fumes and can cause blackouts, breathing difficulties and death after boy, 11, dies at friend’s sleepover

Parents are being warned over a potentially deadly social media trend after an 11-year-old boy died in Lancaster on Saturday while at a sleepover with a friend.

Tommie-lee Gracie Billington, 11, died in hospital on Saturday after reportedly taking part in the ‘chroming’ social media challenge during a sleepover at a friend’s house.

Chroming refers to the practice of inhaling aerosols such as deodorant or spray paint, which can provide a temporary high but can easily go fatally wrong.

Now experts are calling for more protection for under 18s to exposure to the trend such as through television, as they warn it can cause coma, cardiac arrest and even death. 

Social media expert Hannah O’Donoghue Hobbs told MailOnline that terrifying trends – including chroming – are ‘deathly dangerous’ and ‘absolutely shocking’.

She added: ‘It really scares me as to how they can gain any reach whatsoever. No child should lose their life as a result of videos and backwards influencing like this.’

It comes after paramedics were called to an address in Greenset Close, Lancaster, on Saturday where Tommie-lee was found unresponsive. 

The youngster’s grandmother Tina Burns took to social media to warn other families and said her grandson died ‘instantly’ after he and a friend ‘tried the TikTok craze chroming’.

The family now want TikTok taken down completely and children under 16 to be banned from all social media. 

The social media platform has blocked any videos or searches using the term. 

Chroming has been used as a slang term to describe the trend of inhaling toxic fumes to get a high since before TikTok’s launch in the UK in 2018. 

Steve Cole, the Director of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) told MailOnline: ‘We are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Tommie-lee Gracie Billington and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

‘This incident painfully underscores the need for increased awareness and education surrounding the risks associated with the misuse of aerosols, but also an urgent need for government to step in and take action.

‘Ofcom’s guidelines emphasise the need to protect individuals under 18 from harmful content and dangerous behaviour on TV during specific times – but when it comes to social media, there are no such provisions in place.

‘Considering that children are using social media more than any other platform, it raises the question, why aren’t we doing more to protect them?’

He added: ‘Aerosols are highly regulated products that comply with strict legislation and millions are sold and used every day. 

‘However, as with many over the counter products, they need to be used in accordance with the guidelines, in well-ventilated places and in moderation to avoid accidental inhalation and flammability risks.

‘Inhaling substantial amounts of any aerosol can cause a range of life-threatening situations like blackouts, respiratory distress, heart rhythm problems, and death.

‘We always recommend ensuring aerosols are used in well-ventilated spaces and in moderation to avoid accidental inhalation and flammability risks and advise parents and carers to keep aerosols out of reach if their children do not understand the risks or how to use them safely.’

Dr Michele McDowell, a child psychologist, said that kids and teenagers are more susceptible to these feelings because it is a stage where they want to feel a ‘sense of belonging’ to a friendship group.

She said: ‘The death of Tommie-lee is an awful tragedy and a horrific example of the harm that social media can cause. 

‘The problem is that this type of content is widespread. Harmful challenges have been associated with other apps too. 

‘Each year there are more apps developed and the most popular ones gain a keen young following.’ 

Ms O Donohue called for more monitoring from the platforms and ‘more reactive removal of any videos deemed harmful’.

She added: ‘Awful awful situations like this can happen, and can be almost unavoidable but we can see how social media usage has played a massive role here. ‘

Natalie Costa, founder of Power Thoughts, a teaching, coaching and mindfulness service, told MailOnline: ‘Some [trends] may be quite harmless and fun but many can be dangerous and fatal. There are also the social and psychological factors to consider, that often drives these challenges.’

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies previously told MailOnline that it was ‘very concerning’ and urged social media giants to ‘take steps in monitoring this effectively’ so videos stop going viral.

Dr Jen Caudle, a US doctor, said the craze was a ‘death trap’.

She said: ‘This is a warning to parents, for kids, for people out there. Do not try this.’

Ashley Martin, public health adviser RoSPA, previously said it is too easy for young children to ‘assume aerosols are safe’.

He said: ‘It’s easy to assume they are completely safe and totally free from risk. The truth is they’re not. Inhaling large quantities of aerosols, not just deodorants, can lead to a whole host of life-endangering scenarios – from blackouts and breathing difficulties, to heart rhythm changes and sadly, death.’

England’s drug and aerosol abuse charity Talk to Frank reports there are more than 50 deaths in the country each year involving glues, gases, solvents and aerosols.

Breathing in toxic fumes from any of these can cause confusion, slurred speech, mood swings, aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, vomiting, blackouts and breathing difficulties.

It can also cause more serious symptoms such as forcing the heart to go out of rhythm, potentially causing a heart attack. 

The charity stresses that it takes just a little too much of an aerosol to result in coma and even death. 

Tommie-lee’s death is sadly the latest in a string of young lives tragically cut short by the inhalation of toxic fumes from aerosols such as deodorant and paint.

In September, 14-year-old Sarah Mescall, from County Clare, Ireland, died after she also took part in the online craze.

Sarah collapsed after inhaling fumes and was put into an induced coma, but sadly died three days later. 

This followed the death of 13-year-old Esra Haynes in Melbourne, Australia, in April 2023.

Esra suffered a cardiac arrest after breathing in fumes from an aerosol canister, her family said.

Her parents have since made it their ‘life’s mission’ to warn others about the dangers of chroming after their loss left the entire family ‘broken’. 

It is thought the trend of ingesting paint and other household chemicals including deodorant and even bug spray has claimed the lives of more than a dozen young Australians since 2009, with regulators and health experts struggling to contain the issue. 

But despite cases dating back years, children across the world are still dying.

In 2022, British teenager Giorgia Green, from Derby, was found in a state of cardiac arrest after spraying deodorant in her bedroom.

It is not thought the 14-year-old, who was autistic, was taking part in any social media challenge, but instead breathed in the aerosol after spraying it on her blankets to relieve anxiety.

Her father Paul Green said: ‘People don’t know how dangerous the contents of those tins can be.

‘I would like it so that no-one else in the country – or the world – would end up having to go through what we’ve personally gone through. We don’t want our daughter’s death to be in vain.’

He added: ‘If she was feeling in any way a little bit anxious, she would spray this spray and it would give her a sense of comfort because it’s a deodorant my wife used.’

Other dangerous social media trends have also sparked concern, including the  Benadryl Challenge which involved participants taking 12-14 pills, nearly double the recommended daily dosage and ten times the recommended dose for a six-hour period.

A 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl have both died while attempting the challenge.

In the socket challenge, a phone charger is partially pulled out of a socket and a penny is dropped on the exposed prongs, leading to a shower of sparks.

In the salt-and-ice challenge, participants pour salt on their skin, then cover it in ice, leading to second-degree burns and frostbite.

The nutmeg challenge involves consuming ground nutmeg, leading to a ‘high’ plus side-effects that may include a raised heart rate, breathing difficulties and, in some cases, seizures.

There is no more poignant and terrifying example of what can happen with trends than the case of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee, who was declared brain dead after collapsing at home.

His mother Hollie believes her son may have been trying the so – called ‘blackout’ challenge shortly before he was found unconscious, although there has never been any evidence that Archie saw the challenge on TikTok.

Tommie-lee’s family is now desperate to prevent the tragedy from taking any other young lives.

Grandmother Tina told the Lancashire Post: ‘We don’t want any other children to follow TikTok or be on social media.

‘In fact, we want to get TikTok taken down and no children to be allowed on any social media under 16 years of age.

‘This is breaking us all but we want to help save other children’s lives and give families awareness to keep their children safe.’

She said she had received many messages from other parents ‘thanking her’ for raising awareness of the challenge. 

She paid tribute to her grandson and told the outlet that he had a ‘heart of gold,’ adding that the family have been left ‘utterly devastated’ by the loss of Tommie-lee, who was ‘bright’, ‘energetic’ and the ‘life and soul of any room’. 

TikTok previously said the platform ‘does not allow dangerous challenges, and we proactively find 99 per cent of content removed for breaking these rules’.