Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Boy, 13, Dies After Taking Part In New Chroming Trend
The family of a 13-year-old boy who tragically died has issued an urgent warning against chroming.
Nicky Lowther was found unconscious by his mother at home in Canterbury, Kent, U.K., on June 27 in 2024.
Despite desperate attempts to save the teenager, he sadly died in hospital.
Now, Nicky’s aunt, Toni Lowther, is urging parents to have open conversations with their children about the dangers of chroming in light of her nephew’s passing.
Chroming, which is also known as ‘huffing,’ is becoming increasingly popular with teens, with some even filming themselves taking part in the trend and uploading it on social media.
Lowther, a bar supervisor, rushed to the hospital when she learned Nicky had been inhaling aerosols before his death.
She had never heard of the social media craze before, and has since called it ‘shocking’ and ‘dangerous.’
The 35-year-old mom-of-two disclosed that around twelve aerosol cans were found in the teen’s bedroom.
Lowther said: “By the time we got to the hospital, Nicky had already passed away.
“We found out he’d been inhaling aerosols but I didn’t know the severity of it.
“We don’t know how many he inhaled that day, but I think 12 cans were found in his bedroom. No one knows if he’d used them that day.
“There’s no safe way of inhaling aerosols. It’s dangerous.”
Reminiscing about her nephew, Lowther continued: “To us, he was just a cheeky chappy. He had a dark sense of humor, he was really funny.
“We were close. We always did things as a family. We learned a lot when we went to the school after and learned just how kind and caring he was.
“People looked up to him and if anything was getting picked on, he was the one they would go to. At school he was the one that looked out for everyone.”
Lowther is now encouraging parents to have open and honest conversations with their children about the chroming trend.
“I’d never heard of [chroming] before. I heard afterwards about people doing it and dying or making it through the other side,” she said.
“I was shocked. I’ve been told there’s even videos on social media about ‘how to do it.’
“Kids need to understand how dangerous it is.”
Lowther has also launched an online petition to stop the sale of aerosols to young people to prevent future deaths. It’s received more than 5,000 signatures.
Nicky’s aunt concluded: “[Nicky’s death] was so preventable, which is the hardest part. It’s the things he’s never going to do like leaving school, prom, passing his driving test, getting married and having kids.
“It just still doesn’t seem like reality. It still feels so raw.
“Anyone can buy aerosols currently, which is insane. It’s happening all the time. I felt like I needed to do something.
“Nicky couldn’t be saved but hopefully his story can save other children from doing it.”
You can sign Toni Lowther’s petition here.
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