Sarah Mescall, an Irish Teen, Died After Attempting a Deadly Viral TikTok Challenge

Publish date: 2024-05-05

‘Chroming,’ a viral social media challenge, claims the life of an Irish teen.

Sarah Mescall, a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Kilnmona, passed away after attempting a deadly viral challenge called ‘Chroming’ on social media.

Gardai (Irish Police) are investigating the tragic death of a girl from Clare who is believed to have died due to inhaling toxic fumes in a challenge called ‘Chroming.’
Chroming is a dangerous viral social media challenge that includes attempting to get high by inhaling toxic chemicals, mainly chrome-based paint, hence the term ‘Chroming,’ as it used to be a popular way of intoxication once. It involves directly inhaling toxic substances from household items like aerosol cans, paint, and patrol or spraying aerosol on a piece of cloth and wrapping it around the face.

Sarah attempted this dangerous challenge and collapsed. She woke up briefly and informed her mother about it before losing consciousness again. She was rushed to the Crumlin Hospital on Friday and was placed in an induced comatose state. After three days of being hospitalized, she passed away on Monday, September 25, 2023.

She was only 14 years old. She was a student at Colaiste Muire in Ennis, Co Clair. The school has provided counseling for students to help them express their grief about losing a fellow student and help them navigate through these testing times.

She was also a member of a local club, GAA. The Inagh-Kilnamona GAA club released a statement in which they said they learned about the sudden death of such a lovely girl on Wednesday, and there were no words to describe the “shock and sadness” of the community. The statement read,

“She was only beginning on her journey of life, a lovable, kind, energetic, & fun girl. Now an angel in heaven, may she rest in peace.”

Reports suggest that the deadly ‘chroming’ challenge originated on TikTok, but the platform spokesperson says the challenge was “not a TikTok trend.”
The spokesperson said, “Our deepest sympathies are with the family experiencing this tragic loss. Content of this nature is prohibited on our platform and would be removed if found. We will continue to protecting and supporting our community, working with expert partners and providing safety resources to those who need them.”

The ‘Chroming’ trend has claimed another life earlier this year. On March 31, an Australian teenager, Esra Haynes, suffered a cardiac arrest and sustained severe brain damage following her attempting the challenge at a friend’s sleepover.

Online Safety Commissioner Niamh Hodnett said, “These types of harmfull content are exactly the type of harmful content we want to deal with in our online safety code. These are the very essence of why we need an online safety code.”

It is all of our responsibility to educate the younger generation on the dangers of following social media trends. The social media world can be a tricky place to navigate. It offers many positive aspects, including education, entertainment, and an escape from reality, and it can also bring harmful content into your homes. We should all remain vigilant and warn our younger generations about the harmful content. The online platforms need to introduce more filters into their software that can detect and remove harmful content automatically. We might prevent people from hurting themselves with dangerous social media challenges with more awareness and caution.

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