The Dusting Trend on TikTok Is Unsafe for Users of Any Age to Try out Themselves

There are some TikTok trends that probably should have never been trending from the start, and dusting is one of them. When a teen died from trying to go viral by making a video of herself doing the trend, per The Independent, it left many wondering what the dusting trend is and why some TikTok users are trying it out.

It wouldn't be the first unsafe trend to make the rounds on the short-form video platform. The milk crate challenge, for example, tasked users with stacking milk crates as high as they could so they could try to climb to the top. Later came the even more deadly Benadryl challenge, wherein users on TikTok took large amounts of Benadryl in order to get high and experience hallucinations. The dusting challenge is in the same unsafe and not recommended category.

According to users on TikTok, the dusting challenge, which is also referred to as the chroming challenge, involves inhaling aerosol keyboard cleaner in an attempt to get high or feel similar effects. Although the dusting trend became larger on TikTok in June 2025, in 2024, the chroming trend came about when kids began inhaling fumes from paint and sharing those experiences on TikTok.

Both ideas are extremely dangerous. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), inhaling aerosol dusters, paints, gases, or other similar substances can lead to long-term effects on the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, and brain. In fact, the DOJ shared on its website, people who participate in dusting or similar acts can die just as easily from using it once as they can with prolonged use.

Because kids tend to use more easily accessible products, like computer duster and spray paint, it can be easier for them to use those items if they find them in their home. According to the DOJ, 46 states in the U.S. have put laws in place to prevent minors from being able to legally purchase those items.

A 19-year-old girl by the name of Renna O'Rourke reportedly participated in the dusting challenge on TikTok and died after she went into cardiac arrest following the incident. Per AZFamily in Arizona, O'Rourke died from what is called sudden sniffing death syndrome. The teen spent a week in the ICU before she was officially declared brain dead following the dusting challenge.

Her mother, Dana O'Rourke, told the outlet, as a warning to other parents, "Don't take your kids' word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Don't trust and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life." The family set up a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and funeral costs.

If you search for dusting and chroming challenges on TikTok, you can find more information about the dangers of them. But, in some cases, you might also be met with an official TikTok notice that says, "Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being." It also provides a link to resources for help.