Girl's Face Burned After Copying Dangerous TikTok Challenge

A 10-year-old girl experienced severe facial burns and blistering after attempting to replicate a viral TikTok trend. The trend encouraged heating squishy sensory toys in microwaves, a practice that proved dangerous when the toy exploded. The girl described feeling her skin come off due to the intense heat and pain.

Her father confessed he had made a passing comment that heating the toy might make it softer, unaware his daughter would act on it while he was watching a football match. Paramedics were called, and her mother attempted to soothe the burns with cold water. Similar incidents involving microwaved squishy toys have been reported globally, including in Australia, the US, and the UK.

Paediatric emergency medicine specialists emphasize that toys should never be microwaved. If accidental heating occurs, immediate first aid, including prolonged cooling with running water (avoiding ice), is crucial. The specific toy involved, a Needoh toy, carries a warning against heating, freezing, or microwaving.

Other children, like a nine-year-old US boy and a 10-year-old UK girl, have also suffered significant burns from this trend. Social media platforms state they remove content promoting dangerous behavior. Safety organizations urge parents to discuss the risks of online trends and reinforce that microwaves are not toys.