Another child, in this case only 11 years old, he died due to a viral challenge of social networks. Which reignites the debate on the risk to children.
The boy’s name was Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington and he was from the United Kingdom. According to police investigations, the boy died at a friend’s house after carrying out a very dangerous viral challenge on TikTok known as “chroming”.
The challenge, for which several young people from all over the world have died, consists of inhaling chemicals from an aerosol.
The young man, originally from Lancaster, lost his life last Saturday around 11pm after being the victim of this practice, which I tried the challenge at a friend’s house, where he stayed to sleep.
Apparently the boy he would have suffered cardiac arrest and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, although they couldn’t get him out and he died.
“He died instantly after a sleepover at a friend’s house. The kids had tried the TikTok “chrome plating” trend,” the boy’s grandmother, Tina Burns, told the Times.
“Tommie Lee he suffered cardiac arrest and he died right there. The hospital did everything they could to try to bring him back, but nothing worked. “He was gone,” he added.
The boy was 11 years old and died after completing a dangerous challenge on Tiktok.The grandmother also said that the family, “who are devastated”, asked for an awareness campaign to be created and this Access to anyone under 16 is prohibited to social networks.
“He had a heart of gold like his father. Our family is completely devastated“He added.
The challenge is to inhale the vapors of household products such as spray cans, nail polish remover, paint thinner and cleaning products to get high, while teenagers film the process and results to post on their social media profiles.
Practice can cause serious brain damage, asphyxia, cardiac arrest and even death with a simple snort. This trend has claimed the lives of numerous teenagers around the world and has become increasingly popular due to the prevalence of chrome videos on social media.
Tommie-Lee’s family believes the social media platform needs to “do more” to protect users It should even be closed to prevent more children from dying.
“Our families are completely devastated, But we all want the same thing.”Burns said, referring to Tommie-Lee’s friend’s family.
The boy and his father.“We don’t want any other kids following TikTok or being on social media.”
“In fact, we want TikTok removed and children under 16 not allowed on any social media. This is destroying us allbut we want to help save the lives of other children and raise awareness among families to keep their children safe.”
TikTok has faced criticism for the prevalence of dangerous teenage trends on the platform.
During a hearing in January this year, the leaders of four major social media platformsincluding Facebook and Instagram’s Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok’s Shou Chew, were questioned by the US Senate Judiciary Committee about the security of their platforms.
The challenge involves inhaling dangerous chemicals.That hearing was part of an effort to overcome the “Children’s Online Safety Law”which would require social media companies to take aggressive steps to combat dangerous and predatory behavior on their platforms.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.