BOSTON, February 29, 2024 – A popular stress-relief toy is sending children to the emergency room wiht severe burns after a risky social media trend encourages microwaving the items, doctors warn.
Gel-Filled Toys Exploding in Microwaves, Causing Serious Injuries
A viral trend is leading to painful and perhaps life-altering burns for kids and teens.
- Social media posts promoting microwaving stress toys have garnered millions of views.
- Heating the gel-filled toys can cause them to rupture or explode, releasing extremely hot contents.
- Hospitals in boston, Northern California, Texas, and Ohio have recently treated patients injured by this trend.
- Even a short burst of 15 seconds in the microwave can heat the gel to more than 200°F.
Hospitals in Boston, Northern California, Texas, and Ohio have seen a surge in patients with burns related to this social media challenge within the last four weeks. Alice Fagin, M.D., a burn surgeon at Shriners ChildrenS Ohio, recently treated two young patients who sustained facial burns after a toy exploded when removed from a microwave.
“The biggest message we want to get out to kids and parents is that these toys were not meant to be heated and you’re playing a dangerous game if you try,” said Dr. Fagin. “They may not explode every time, but when they do, the result can cause a painful and life-changing injury. What makes this trend especially dangerous is that it can reach extremely high temperatures in the microwave very quickly. The hot gel inside is sticky and can adhere to the skin, causing deeper, more severe burns. even 15 seconds in a microwave can raise the temperature to more than 200°F. This is not a defect or failure of the product, but the result of a toy being used in a way it was never intended to be used.”
Posts and videos promoting the heating of these stress toys have been viewed by millions online, with some videos generating more than 2 million views.
One mother, Kristy, shared her heartbreaking experience after her daughter suffered second-degree burns. “Seeing my own daughter badly burned after doing a TikTok trend has broken my heart,” she said. “She did what moast teens and children see online and didn’t think there would be any harm.Please talk to your kids about not copying things they see online. I’m sharing this so no other family has to go through something like this. We are lucky and very blessed that my daughter’s injuries were not worse than they are. And we are so thankful to the physicians at Shriners Children’s for their quick care of my daughter.” Her daughter had microwaved the toy for approximately five seconds before it exploded, causing severe burns to her face.
Doctors recommend choice methods for warming the toys, such as running them under warm water or using hands to increase pliability.
“Unfortunately, we certainly know these trends gain popularity quickly as this is a toy that is very popular with kids, and the social media content can frequently enough spread online faster than we can get the word out about the dangers,” Dr. Fagin explained. “But we always encourage kids and parents to talk about what they are seeing online and be careful about trying new trends and challenges because they aren’t always as harmless as they may seem.”
If your child receives a scald burn:
- Remove the child from the hot liquid instantly.
- Remove any clothing at the site of injury.
- Cool the injury with cool tap water.
- Do not put ice on a burn.
- Seek medical attention and call 911 if necessary. Once the injury has been assessed in an emergency setting,seek care at a healthcare facility with pediatric burn care expertise.
