A grieving mother has issued a public plea for stronger education on the dangers of solvent abuse after her 13-year-old daughter died while copying a social media trend she had seen online.
Sonia Hopkin, from Leicester, said her daughter Tiegan Jarman was found unresponsive in her bedroom in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, on 6 March. Paramedics pronounced the teenager dead at the scene.
Mrs Hopkin believes Tiegan had been taking part in a dangerous online trend known as “chroming”, which involves inhaling toxic fumes from household products to achieve a brief high. She said her daughter had copied videos she had seen on TikTok.
A Family’s ‘Worst Nightmare’
Describing the loss as devastating, Mrs Hopkin said she was left “heartbroken” after learning what had happened.
“When you read stories like this, you always think it happens to someone else’s family,” she said. “You never imagine it will be your own child.”
The healthcare assistant described Tiegan as “outgoing and funny” and said her death has changed her life forever.
Call for Education and Regulation
In the wake of the tragedy, Mrs Hopkin has launched a petition calling for mandatory lessons on solvent abuse to be introduced in schools. The petition also urges authorities to strengthen warnings on household products and improve education around online dangers.
“It’s not just about household chemicals,” she said. “It’s about teaching children the dangers of the internet and what they’re being exposed to.”
Mrs Hopkin said her aim is to prevent other families from suffering similar loss.
“We just want awareness. No parent should ever have to go through this.”
Pressure on Social Media Platforms
Mrs Hopkin also criticised TikTok, urging the platform to do more to prevent harmful behaviour from spreading online.
“It’s shocking that videos like this can stay online,” she said. “One video is bad enough, but the fact it becomes a trend is unbelievable.”
Official Responses
The British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association said aerosol products already carry several safety warnings, but confirmed that clearer and more direct warning language would be introduced on packaging from 2026.
TikTok said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident and expressed condolences to the family.
A spokesperson added that content promoting dangerous challenges is banned on the platform, claiming 99.8% of violating videos are removed before being reported. TikTok also said searches for chroming-related challenges are blocked and denied evidence the trend had ever been widespread on the platform.
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