The bedroom of a thirteen-year-old should be a sanctuary of dreams, homework, and small, private joys. For Tiegan Jarman, it became the site of an unspeakable tragedy. Found unresponsive this past March, her death was linked to “chroming,” a perilous trend circulating on social media where individuals inhale fumes from aerosol cans. This act, a modern iteration of solvent abuse, offers a fleeting high at the potential cost of everything. For Tiegan’s family, the loss is a living nightmare, a void where once there was a daring, loving girl with a great laugh who affectionately called her father “Pookie.” Their grief is now compounded by a desperate need to warn others.
The mechanics of the trend are deceptively simple and dangerously accessible. Chroming typically involves inhaling propellants from common household items like deodorant, spray paint, or air fresheners. These chemicals can induce a rapid, euphoric effect but simultaneously starve the heart and brain of oxygen, leading to sudden cardiac arrest or asphyxiation. Medical toxicologists note the practice is a deadly revival of an old danger, now amplified by the reach and speed of social media algorithms. For a teenager like Tiegan, the portrayal of such acts online can obscure the severe, immediate risks, presenting a lethal gamble as a casual challenge.
Her stepfather, Rob Hopkin, captures the family’s heartbreaking position. They are not consumed by anger toward a single person, but by a profound frustration with the systems that allowed this trend to flourish. He questions why social media platforms, which can filter and control certain types of content, seem unable or unwilling to aggressively curb the spread of trends that “can kill instantly.” In their view, the digital landscape their daughter navigated failed to protect her, allowing a deadly game to be presented as just another piece of content in an endless scroll.
Determined to create meaning from their loss, Tiegan’s family is advocating for tangible change. Her sister, Alisha, has taken the lead by starting a petition demanding that education on the risks of solvent abuse and dangerous online trends become a compulsory part of the school curriculum. They are also campaigning for manufacturers to put clearer, more graphic warnings on products that can be misused in this way. The goal is to build multiple layers of defense: informed children, vigilant parents, responsible corporations, and more accountable social media environments.
Tiegan’s story is a stark and sorrowful alert to every parent, educator, and policymaker. It highlights the critical need for open, ongoing conversations with young people about the very real-world dangers that can originate in the digital sphere. Her family’s courage in speaking out through their grief is a powerful call to action. They are fighting to ensure that other children are educated, that warnings are seen and heeded, and that no other family has to endure the agony of losing a child to a trend that traveled from a phone screen into a vulnerable, young life.
