Two children burned doing viral TikTok squishy toy challenge, sparking fire marshal warning
A 4-year-old girl and her older sibling did the viral challenge on Thursday, and suffered second- and third-degree burns burns to their arms, chest and legs, according to the fire marshal's office.
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The Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office is warning parents about the dangers of a viral TikTok challenge involving NeeDoh squishy toys after two Floral Park children suffered serious burn injuries.
Officials say the trend encourages people to place NeeDoh gel-filled toys in the microwave, sometimes after first storing them in the freezer.
When the toy is removed, the heated gel can build up pressure and suddenly explode, spraying boiling contents that can cause severe burns to the hands, face and chest.
The 4-year-old girl and her older sibling did the viral challenge on Thursday, and suffered second- and third-degree burns burns to their arms, chest and legs, according to the fire marshal's office.
"The water starts to evaporate. The corn starch begins to give off a smell like baked goods and it becomes a very, very hot gel, unsuspecting to the folks that take it out of the microwave," said chief fire Marshall Michael Uttaro. "Unfortunately, they were handling this thing and it resulted in burn injuries."
They both were taken to the Nassau County Medical Center for evaluation.
Officials are urging parents to closely supervise children in the kitchen and pay attention to the social media content they are consuming.
They warn that many young people may imitate viral online trends without fully understanding the potentially life-altering consequences.
Fire officials stress that a few moments of curiosity can lead to devastating injuries.
"Let kids be kids, but let's all work together to keep them safe," the fire marshal wrote.
