Social media is a dangerous place for young people, and it’s become impossible to keep them safe.
Legislators are doing everything they can to regulate the space, but this problem gets solved at home.
And now children worldwide are falling victim to one deadly “social media trend” that has concerned parents’ racked with fear.
The rise of “chroming” threatens the physical safety of social media users
When people think about the dangers of social media, they normally focus on the emotional impacts, and inherent lack of privacy.
But these apps also threaten physical safety, and it can be seen in the rising popularity of performing dangerous acts to be a part of growing trends.
One of those trends is known as “chroming,” and it presents a large concern for parents around the world.
Chroming is a decades-old method of getting high by inhaling chemicals that can be found in the home.
But social media is popularizing it, teaching kids what types of chemicals and aerosol products they can use.
Chroming is a dangerous activity that can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, hallucinations, blackouts, seizures, and in extreme situations coma or death.
Now, a family in the United Kingdom is dealing with the effects of this “social media trend” on a personal level.
Multiple young lives have been lost in recent years
Eleven-year-old Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington of Lancaster, UK, was found unconscious at a friend’s house earlier this month.
First responders transported him to the hospital to resuscitate him, but it was too late, and he was pronounced dead.
Billington’s grandmother told The Times of London that he had “died instantly” after trying the popular TikTok trend of “chroming.”
“Tommie-Lee went into cardiac arrest immediately and died right there and then,” she said.
Billington isn’t the first child to die from this trend.
Last year, a similar story made headlines after a 13-year-old in Australia died from cardiac arrest and brain damage.
Another 16-year-old Australian lost his life after sniffing a deodorant can.
Now, distraught family members like Billington’s grandma are calling for a change.
And in the United States, the ruling class elites are already on the path to outlawing TikTok.
Republicans split on TikTok ban as Trump establishes new position
Congress is currently considering legislation that would remove TikTok from app stores operating in the United States.
Though the bill is not based on the trends that threaten the physical safety of the users, it could have a profound impact on social media in the U.S.
The bill orders the “divestment from the Communist Party of China,” if TikTok wishes to keep operating in the country.
But despite the potential positive outcomes of a TikTok ban, some critics say it could threaten Free Speech in our country by consolidating power in the social media industry.
They argue the issue should be left to parents to determine what social media apps their children are using.
In a recent change of position, Donald Trump has even come out against the bill.
“He realizes that a lot of people would be upset if it were banned,” one Trump campaign staffer said.
“Now Trump and Biden are on opposite sides of an issue where younger voters are clearly in favor of not banning TikTok,” they added.
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
