A 13-year-old girl dies from ‘chroming’, an alarming challenge of social networks – People – Culture

Sometimes the trends on the internet they go too far. An example of these is the one that seems to have originated in social networks and that has experts worried and warning parents. He chromingor chromium in Spanish, set off the alarm about this challenge by taking the life of Esra Hayes in Australia.

Esra Haynes, a 13-year-old eighth grade student in Melbourne, Australia, lost her life on March 31, 2023 after exposure to chemicals during a sleepover.

The inhalation of vapors from an aerosol deodorant would have been the cause of irreversible brain damage and subsequent cardiac arrest, according to ‘The Sun’.

In an interview on the Australian television show ‘A Current Affair’, the father, Paul Haynes stated that her daughter would never have done it if she had known the consequences. “It was just a normal day of hanging out with her classmates,” said Andrea Haynes, the girl’s mother.

(Keep reading: Dangerous TikTok viral challenge killed at least four people in the US.)

Kelly Johnson-Arbor, toxicologist, co-medical director and executive director of the ‘National Capital Poison Center’ explains to the portal ‘parents.com’ that: “Chrome plating is the act of intentionally inhaling chemicals or vapors in order to become intoxicated”.

With this there is a concern that young people may think that chrome is a “safer” way to get high instead of abusing street or prescription drugs.

The accessibility and seemingly benign nature of the products used in chrome plating, such as spray paint bottles and markers, have contributed to its popularity.

Plus, these products are easy to buy and don’t have the same restrictions as illegal drugs or controlled medications.

(You may be interested in: Social networks and viral challenges: their effects on the health of children and adolescents).

According to reports from ‘People’ in Spanish, some stores in Australia, such as ‘Woolworths and Coles’, have taken steps to prevent easy access. They explain that they have begun to place these products behind closed cabinets or displays.

Although TikTok has taken steps to prevent the spread of dangerous trends, such as removing hashtags related, some of these are still circulating on the platform.Parents should be vigilant and talk to their children about the risks of chroming and other dangerous practices on social media.

SOPHIA SALAMANCA GOMEZ
DIGITAL SCOPE WRITING
TIME

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