Gardai probe if teenage girl, 14, died after taking part in TikTok ‘challenge’
COPS are probing if a teenage girl in Ireland died after taking part in a social media "challenge".
The 14-year-old took ill at a property in the south-west of Ireland over the weekend and was rushed to Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin.
She was pronounced dead on Monday morning.
Gardai have notified the coroner of the death and a file is being prepared.
According to the , investigators believe the young girl became seriously ill after taking part in an extremely dangerous "challenge" known as "chroming" on TikTok.
They are probing if the teenager inhaled an aerosol as part of the worrying social media trend, which has gone viral on the popular app.
Chroming involves inhaling toxic substances to create a temporary high. However, the activity can result in deadly side effects.
A garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána have notified the coroner of the death of a girl, 14, which occurred at Crumlin Children’s Hospital.
"An Garda Síochana’s focus is the preparation of an investigation file for the coroner.”
TikTok has taken action to prevent some of these dangerous trends from spreading on their platforms - including removing hashtags that help them grow in popularity.
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A spokesperson for TikTok said in a statement: “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 prioritise protecting and supporting our community, working with expert partners and providing safety resources to those who need them.”
It comes after heartbroken parents in Australia issued an urgent warning after their little girl, 13, died after trying the popular internet trend.
Esra Haynes tragically passed away when she inhaled chemicals from a deodorant can.
The year 8 high school student from Melbourne, took part in the shocking trend at a sleepover on March 31, 2023.
Devastated mum and dad, Paul and Andrea Haynes, told A Current Affair: "It was just the regular routine of going to hang out with her mates.
'CALL NO PARENT EVER WANTS TO RECEIVE'
“We always knew where she was and we knew who she was with. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
"To get this phone call at that time of night, it was one of the calls no parent ever wants to have to receive and we unfortunately got that call: ‘Come and get your daughter.’
“We’ve got the pictures in our mind which will never be erased, you know, of what we were confronted with.”
Esra had gone into and was raced to hospital by paramedics where she was quickly put on life support.
Her hopeful parents thought they would be bringing their daughter home.
But, a scan uncovered the young teen had suffered irreparable brain damage.
Tragically she passed away eight days later, leaving behind "heartbroken" parents and three "shattered" siblings, Imogen, Seth and Charlie.
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Paul said: "She was put onto a bed so we could lay with her. We cuddled her until he end."
Esra's parents are now in a battle to spread awareness and prevent the potentially fatal activity stealing any more lives.