Girl, 13, dies after harmful social media problem goes horribly incorrect
Tiegan Jarman, was found unresponsive in her bedroom on March 6, with her family saying she had taken part in a dangerous social media trend called chroming
A “loving” teenager tragically died after participating in a perilous social media challenge. Tiegan Jarman, who lived in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, was discovered unresponsive in her bedroom after her attempt at the viral trick went wrong.
Emergency services rushed to her home and tried to revive her, but the 13-year-old was declared dead at the scene on March 6. Tiegan’s family revealed that her death resulted from a viral craze known as “chroming” — a type of solvent misuse.
The social media challenge involves breathing in poisonous vapours from everyday household products to achieve a fleeting high. Now, her family are reeling from her sudden passing and holding social media companies to account.
Her stepfather, Rob Hopkin, explained: “We are not too sure if she had [tried chroming] before as there is no way of tracing it. When it happened she had used at least one can of deodorant.”
He continued: “It has been devastating for the whole family and our lives will never be the same again.” Tiegan was staying with her father, Paul Jarman, when she passed away, according to the Mirror.
Speaking about his daughter, he said: “She was the most loving, daring girl ever. She was warm, she was funny, she was quirky; She had a great laugh – and she made me laugh.
“My life was twisted upside down when she died, and I have to keep strong and carry on. She used to always call me Pookie. It’s just the funny little stuff.”
The 13-year-old’s relatives are now determined to raise awareness about the perils of social media. Rob commented: “It’s hard to feel angry in a strange way because it’s not one individual that has caused this.
“We believe that the social media sites should be better at controlling what’s shown on their sites. They seem to be able to control certain things like pornography, but do not seem that bothered about the trends that can kill instantly.”
Tiegan was one of four siblings, including Brogan, 24, Callum, 17, and Alisha, 18, as well as having four step-siblings. Alisha has now launched an online petition in hopes of raising awareness about the dangers associated with certain social media trends, advocating for it to be included in compulsory school curriculums.
The petition, named ‘Enforce warnings on solvent products and educate on risks’ on the Change.org website, also aims to ensure products carrying risk display more conspicuous warning labels about misuse. Rob clarified: “What we all want from the petition Alisha set up is for the warnings on solvents to be more visible, and for it to become the law on deodorant cans to warn specifically about the danger of inhaling.
“Also we would like the dangers of social media and trends – not just chroming but other ones like the black-out challenge – to be taught in schools as a proper subject; not just glossed over.” The petition currently holds 1,232 signatures at the time of writing.
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