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Urgent warning after TikTok squishy toy trend caused 'traumatising' burns

Apr 20, 2026Bristol, United Kingdom1 source

Summary

A 10-year-old girl sustained severe facial burns after participating in a TikTok trend involving microwaving a squishy toy. The child was at a friend’s house when she followed a viral video showing the toy being heated in a microwave to make it more elastic. The toy, which had a silicone outer layer, became extremely hot inside but did not feel hot to the touch, leading the child to squeeze it. The toy burst, causing scalds to her face and resulting in blistering and missing skin. The incident was shared by the child’s parent on Facebook, where another parent confirmed a similar experience, describing the event as "traumatising." The toy was purchased from a local shop and was unbranded.

Incident Details

Domain
Child Safety

Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.

Mechanism
content
Severity
Minor involved
Platforms
TikTokInstagramYouTubeFacebook
Recipient
IndividualBella, a 10-year-old child
Dimensions
physicalpsychological

Sources

1
Urgent warning after TikTok squishy toy trend caused 'traumatising' burns - BBC
Social Media AND Harm·May 4, 2026

This incident is documented by a single source. Source count reflects coverage in our monitored feeds, not the totality of reporting, and we do not evaluate publication quality.