An 11-year-old boy has tragically lost his life in a sad accident involving a dangerous social media challenge known as ‘chroming’. Young Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington sadly suffered what is believed to have been a cardiac arrest on Saturday after participating in the hazardous trend whilst staying over at a friend’s house.
The act of chroming involves sniffing harmful substances such as paint, solvent, aerosol cans, cleaning products or petrol. This can give users a brief feeling of being ‘high’, but it can also result in nasty side effects like slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and disorientation.
Additionally, it can cause severe dangers like causing heart attacks or suffocation. Tommie-Lee’s grandma, Tina Burns, who is understandably upset by the shocking incident, revealed that the young boy had passed away straight away following the ‘chroming’ stunt during a sleepover at a mate’s house.
Read more Wolverhampton murder probe – everything we know so far after teen stabbed to death
Tina said: “He died instantly after a sleepover at a friend’s house. The boys had tried the TikTok craze ‘chroming’. Tommie-Lee went into cardiac arrest immediately and died right there and then. The hospital did everything to try and bring him back but nothing worked. He was gone.”
A spokesperson from TikTok told The Mirror there isn’t any proof that links ‘chroming’ specifically with their platform or suggests that it had been popularised via their site. Tommie-Lee passed away on March 2 after he was found unresponsive at his friend’s house in Lancaster, Lancashire.
Lancashire Police said they were treating his death as ‘unexplained’. Tina paid tribute to her grandson, calling him a ‘bright, energetic boy’ who made any room fun. She added: “He had a heart of gold just like his dad. Our family is utterly devastated.”
Tommie-Lee lived with his mum Sherri in Lancaster, and his dad Graham’s family lives close by in Clayton-le-Woods and South Ribble in Lancashire. Tina said that both sides of the family wanted to warn others of the dangers.
The teaching assistant said: “Both our families are utterly devastated but we all want the same thing. 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. I have had so many messages from parents thanking me for making them aware.”
Tommie-Lee’s mum Sherri has warned other parents to ‘hide all deodorants from their children’ following her tragic loss. She shared on Facebook: “As much as I hate talking about it, I need to raise awareness of what kids are trying nowadays. Please, please, please hide all deodorants from your children.
“This cost my son his life from trying something other kids are doing. They are using this and breathing them in to try get a buzz.”
A fundraising page has been set up to help pay for Tommie-Lee’s funeral, and his family is thankful for the big support. Tina mentioned: “We have loads of friends that are doing raffles etc. The support that we are receiving is truly amazing and we are so very grateful.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
