A teenage girl's family have shared their heartbreak over their daughter's sudden passing after she took part in a social media trend which is growing in popularity.
In March of this year, 13-year-old Tiegan Jarman was found unresponsive in her bedroom at her home in Leicestershire, UK.
Emergency services were called to her home and attempted to resuscitate her. However, devastatingly, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tiegan's parents say she died as a result of the dangerous social media trend 'chroming'.
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According to Anthony Pizon MD, who specializes in toxicology, 'chroming' is 'a variation of an old theme of huffing all sorts of hydrocarbons'.
He went on to explain: "People have been huffing metallic paints for a long, long time. This is really not new; maybe it’s just been rediscovered."
Tiegan's family have since spoken out in the wake of her untimely passing and paid tribute to her.
Her stepdad, Rob Hopkin, said: "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.
"She loved her pets - two dogs and a cat, and she loved spending time with her best friend Teigan. They would often spend weekends at each other's houses.
"She used to enjoy winding her siblings up, especially Alisha, and she had a laugh that was so infectious and would light up a room. Once you met her, you could never forget her and she wanted to follow in her mum Sonia’s footsteps and work at the hospital or be an actress.
"Tiegan also loved watching the sunset in the evening. It has been devastating for the whole family, and our lives will never be the same again."
Her father, Paul Jarman, added: "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."
Her family are hoping to spread awareness of the dangers of social media and the various trends that can put young people's lives at risk.
Rob said: "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 had three siblings, Brogan, 24, Callum, 17, and a sister, Alisha, 18, alongside four step-siblings. Alisha has started an online petition in a bid to get the dangers surrounding certain social media trends highlighted as part of a mandatory program taught in schools.
The petition, titled ‘Enforce warnings on solvent products and educate on risks’ on the Change.org website, also hopes to see products that bear risk feature more prominent warning labels regarding misuse of the products.
You can sign the petition here.
Topics: Health, Social Media, Parenting, UK News
Niamh Shackleton