Teen dies after viral TikTok challenge; what is 'dusting' and how it causes sudden sniffing death
If you have a child who spends a considerable amount of time online, they may have heard of a new trend that is making the rounds — dusting.
'Dusting' is a viral trend in which individuals inhale cleaning spray for a brief moment of intoxication.
Some trends often go viral, with many unassuming children jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to gain popularity. Earlier, trends like the ' Blue Whale Challenge ' also went viral, which led to many children causing harm to themselves.
This week, Renna O'Rourke, a 19-year-old living in the United States, succumbed to sudden sniffing death syndrome after she participated in the challenge. She ordered a computer cleaning spray to her home and inhaled its contents. After battling for four days in the ICU, she passed away — never having regained consciousness.
Speaking to local media, her parents are now trying to raise awareness of such dangerous challenges that young people often participate in.
Her father, while speaking to 12 News, said that she often said 'I'm gonna be famous, Dad'. "Unfortunately, this is not under the most optimal of circumstances," he added.
Her parents have urged other parents to keep an eye on their children's online activities. They have even asked other guardians to be mindful of the things children keep in their room and have access to.
What is sudden sniffing death syndrome?
Sudden sniffing death syndrome occurs when a fatal cardiac event takes place after inhaling some substances, often inhalants.
Inhalants are chemical vapours found in common household products like glue, paint thinners, cleaning fluids, and even some types of gas.
Sometimes, when a person inhales such substances, they can experience various effects which includes heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
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Khaleej Times
10 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Teen dies after viral TikTok challenge; what is 'dusting' and how it causes sudden sniffing death
If you have a child who spends a considerable amount of time online, they may have heard of a new trend that is making the rounds — dusting. 'Dusting' is a viral trend in which individuals inhale cleaning spray for a brief moment of intoxication. Some trends often go viral, with many unassuming children jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to gain popularity. Earlier, trends like the ' Blue Whale Challenge ' also went viral, which led to many children causing harm to themselves. This week, Renna O'Rourke, a 19-year-old living in the United States, succumbed to sudden sniffing death syndrome after she participated in the challenge. She ordered a computer cleaning spray to her home and inhaled its contents. After battling for four days in the ICU, she passed away — never having regained consciousness. Speaking to local media, her parents are now trying to raise awareness of such dangerous challenges that young people often participate in. Her father, while speaking to 12 News, said that she often said 'I'm gonna be famous, Dad'. "Unfortunately, this is not under the most optimal of circumstances," he added. Her parents have urged other parents to keep an eye on their children's online activities. They have even asked other guardians to be mindful of the things children keep in their room and have access to. What is sudden sniffing death syndrome? Sudden sniffing death syndrome occurs when a fatal cardiac event takes place after inhaling some substances, often inhalants. Inhalants are chemical vapours found in common household products like glue, paint thinners, cleaning fluids, and even some types of gas. Sometimes, when a person inhales such substances, they can experience various effects which includes heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Why body image dissatisfaction peaks during summer
For the past two years, Sarah*, a 39-year-old executive assistant at a professional service firm, has been actively unlearning the harsh body image standards she once accepted. 'I grew up at the peak of thin culture in the 90s and 00s in the US,' she said. 'So there's not a fad diet I haven't tried to lose weight.' But as she got older, when after her extreme dieting patterns and preoccupation with her body led her to seek professional help, she came to realise there was nothing wrong with her body at all. She'd simply been chasing beauty trends. 'First thin was in, then a more curvy shape became popular, and now it's all about being fit and lean. I got sick of trying to force my body to meet impossible standards. So I went to therapy where I was diagnosed with body dysmorphia and I'm learning how to manage my body image dissatisfaction,' she added. By her account, Sarah was making real progress. But every summer, like clockwork, when her Instagram feed floods with influencers pushing 'summer body' makeovers, she feels herself slipping back into old habits; comparing, criticising, and questioning how far she's really come. 'It's not just on social media, and it's not just me,' explained the Dubai-resident. 'It's all my friends can talk about too. If they could just lose five kilos, they say, they'd finally feel good in their skin.' 'It's really hard not to internalise that. I know better, but being constantly bombarded with messages saying you have to look a certain way, it's hard not to feel like your worth still depends on being smaller, fitter, more toned.' Sarah's experience isn't unique. In fact, it echoes a broader pattern — one that researchers say intensifies with the seasons. A recent study by the Global Digital Wellbeing Program (Sync), part of the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, analysed over 12 million Twitter/X posts and identified clear seasonal patterns in body image dissatisfaction. Drawing on data from 1,534 users in the UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand between 2020 and 2023, the study found that dissatisfaction consistently peaked during the summer months in both hemispheres. 'This work points to a predictable recurring seasonal rhythm in how people feel about their bodies, in a large part amplified by social media platforms,' said lead author Dr Justin Thomas. 'These findings might apply to the Gulf if we consider that for some residents, summer also equals vacation time. It might even be that for some Gulf residents, there is also a winter spike during the months of October-February, in that this is the beach season here as the temperature is more tolerable.' The study has been peer-reviewed and will be presented at this year's British Psychological Society annual conference (Cyber Psychology section). It was led by Dr Justin Thomas and co-authored by Alex Wells, Rana Samad, and Yasmin Al Jedawi, researchers at The Digital Wellbeing Program (Sync) at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra); and Dr Dahlia Al Juboori (Johns Hopkins University), and Timothy Regan (Uniformed Services University). It represents one of the most comprehensive investigations into seasonal body image dissatisfaction to date. On how this type of research appies to the Gulf, Dr Thomas said: 'Further research is required to explore how seasonality might impact body image in climates like the UAE and in places where modesty in dress remains a well-respected social norm.' To that point, Sarah, a practising Muslim who wears the hijab, argued that no woman is immune to the pressure. Beauty ideals, she says, find other ways to reach you. 'Just because I [dress modestly] doesn't mean I'm not affected,' said Sarah. 'The pressure just shifts. It's less about showing skin and more about having the 'right' body underneath. You still feel like you're being measured against a standard, even if no one sees it.' 'There are other times of the year — like Eid or before the wedding season — that the algorithm pushes unhelpful weight loss content and it really affects me negatively.' According to Dr Al Juboori, senior research assistant at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of the study, Sarah's experience further contextualises the study's findings. Holidays that revolve around food or appearance-focused traditions are peak periods for heightened body image concerns. 'We observe a 'perfect storm' where seasonal shifts intensify exposure to idealised body images through media and peer interactions,' she explains. Because body image dissatisfaction is a known risk factor for eating disorders — the mental health condition with the highest mortality rate — it's crucial for clinicians to recognise these patterns and adjust their interventions accordingly. 'Clinicians in multicultural regions like the Gulf should consider the local cultural calendar and climate when designing interventions that are both emotionally resonant and contextually relevant,' she continued. 'Approaches such as media literacy training, cognitive restructuring, and guided discussions around upward social comparisons can help individuals build resilience against these pressures.' 'Social media literacy is especially crucial, as passive consumption of appearance-focused content has been shown to increase BID (body image disorder) via indirect comparison mechanisms.' The study concludes that public health campaigns targeting body image and eating disorders might be most effective if timed to mitigate these high-risk periods. 'Therapy helped me a lot,' Sarah said. 'It taught me to understand that healing isn't a straight line. I can work through the root of my body image issues and feel OK, but that doesn't mean I won't get triggered again — by ads, by the noise around how women 'should' look, especially at certain times of the year. At those times, I practise being more mindful and more critical of the content I consume. And I've learned some helpful tools to maintain resilience.' It's a work in progress, she admits, but one that's rooted in self-compassion, not perfection. 'I just want women, and men, to know there's no one 'right' way to look. I'm still learning that, even if I slip back into old patterns sometimes.'
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Elon Musk's departure proves no one lasts long in the spotlight beside Donald Trump
Last year, the world's richest man, Elon Musk, lavished hundreds of millions of dollars on the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump, in a transparent effort to translate his vast wealth into personal political power. After Mr Trump returned to the White House, with Mr Musk in tow, it seemed that was indeed happening. Mr Musk was such a regular fixture in the White House that there was even silly talk of a co-presidency. But now the billionaire is gone, unlikely ever to return to the Washington halls of power. In truth, Mr Musk's tenure at the " Department of Government Efficiency" could have been better at its purported tax-cutting mission. Its goal, Mr Musk boasted in the lead-up to the election, was to save the federal government $2 trillion, though he later revised that figure to $1tn. Yet despite pulling out chainsaws on stage and gloating over the mass sackings of eminent, respectable and dedicated public servants, not to mention the gutting of crucial public and human service programmes, he barely made a dent in the federal budget. The most charitable calculation of the actual 'savings' incurred to date is around $175 billion, though Doge has published evidence purported to substantiate less than half of this. Mr Musk seems especially proud of the de facto shuttering of the US Agency for International Development and the elimination of many of its key humanitarian programmes. Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent much of last week denying that anyone has died because of the elimination of these crucial programmes, some experts think that the only real question is only whether these deaths, in only a few weeks, must be counted in the thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands. Journalists and Democratic lawmakers have pointed out specific cases, such as individually named orphaned children in rural Africa who were depending for survival on HIV medicine that was suddenly yanked away by the world's richest man. They're now verifiably and needlessly dead. Despite pulling out chainsaws on stage and gloating over the mass sackings of public servants, Mr Musk barely made a dent in the federal budget There are many other examples. But, as one Republican Senator, Joni Ernst, told constituents worried about their own health care last week: "Well, we are all going to die." That's as true of an impoverished African orphan as anyone else, from the point of view of a millionaire US senator or billionaire venture capitalist. Apart from the decimation of programmes and mass dismissal of public servants, Mr Musk's tenure provided the public with a close look at his lifestyle. It is inspiring to those who think people ought to have more children. He has been energetically promoting large families, in both theory and in practice. He has denied reports from The New York Times that he regularly consumed illegal drugs and amphetamines like Adderall. It might be unfair to speculate that as he was reshaping US government, Mr Musk was frequently in an altered state of consciousness. But we do know that Mr Musk and his crew had, with minimal oversight, access to the most sensitive data on not just public employees and the government, but taxpayers and the general public. The fate of this data is unknown. An even more troubling reality is that his activities were unsupervised, unconfirmed and unvetted. He had no security clearance, or even a security clearance investigation. Mr Musk's Washington adventure illustrates exactly why the founders of the American republic insisted the Senate needed to confirm all senior appointees. This has become an increasingly marginalised procedure, but the wisdom of this check has been amply illustrated by the Musk-Trump transactional relationship. While the two still praise each other, the actual chasm between them grows ever wider. Mr Musk has been increasingly vocal in condemning the " big, beautiful budget bill" that the Republican-dominated Senate is trying to pass at Mr Trump's behest. The billionaire says it is the antithesis of everything he was trying to do, since it may greatly increase the federal budget. He could never say any such thing if he were still connected to the White House. Mr Trump increasingly had little time for his billionaire former buddy. You could see it coming from the very outset. The administration could not contain two alpha males, and Washington was never going to be big enough for both of them. The only surprise is that Mr Musk lasted as long as he did. No one lasts too long in the spotlight next to Mr Trump.
