A schoolgirl was left in a coma with horror burns after a squishy toy she microwaved exploded in her face after she 'copied a TikTok video' she had seen.
Scarlett Selby put a NeeDoh cube into the freezer and then microwaved it for a few seconds to make it more malleable after allegedly seeing a video of people trying it on the social media platform.
But harmless playtime soon turned to a living nightmare when it exploded, showering the seven-year-old's face and chest with red-hot goo from inside the cube.
Scarlett's horrified dad Josh Selby raced over to her when he heard a 'blood-curdling scream' and desperately tried to claw the sticky substance off the youngster's skin and clothes in the harrowing October 2024 incident.
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He rushed Scarlett to hospital, where doctors placed her in an induced coma over fears the burns on her mouth would cause her airways to swell up and close.
Scarlett's mom Amanda Blakenship said her daughter had seen clips of people microwaving the toy on other people's TikTok and YouTube accounts and wanted to try it out for herself.
However, toy company Schylling Toys, who manufacture NeeDoh toys, have a warning on their website that reads 'Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury'.
Recalling the devastating ordeal last year, Scarlett's dad Josh, from Festus, Missouri, US, said: "She'd frozen the NeeDoh cube the night before and the next day she showed me it was rock solid and was playing with it.
"She stuck it in the microwave. I was watching her and saw her touch it to check it wasn't too hot when she pulled it out."
Josh went on: "It all happened so quickly. I heard her scream and it was like a blood-curdling scream. It had exploded all over her chest, mouth and chin. I took her as quickly as I could to the hospital.
"I was a complete mess. She spent a week in the hospital and for three days of that she was in the coma. I don't think I could speak to anybody without crying the entire time."
Her mother also said that the girl was 'still screaming in pain' after the 30-minute drive to St Louis Children's Hospital before she was placed into an induced coma.
The severity of Scarlett's scars may mean she needs skin grafts in the future, Amanda fears.
Addressing the apparent online trend, TikTok said it doesn't allow content that shows or promotes dangerous behaviour.
The company also said that it has created technology that alerts its safety teams to sudden increases in violative content linked to hashtags to help detect potentially harmful trends.
Meanwhile, YouTube said it is a 13+ platform and accounts found belonging to people under 13 without parental supervision can either set up a supervised account or will be terminated.
It also said that it has strict rules prohibiting content that features minors engaging in dangerous activities, including content related to challenges that pose an imminent risk of physical injury, and that the safety of users is an 'utmost priority' and they 'vigorously remove this type of content'.
Schylling has previously issued a statement to LADbible Group on the matter.
It said: "Ensuring the safety of our consumers is fundamental for Schylling. We were disappointed to see there had been a trend on social media demonstrating product misuse of our NeeDoh® brand.
"Misusing a NeeDoh product by microwaving, heating, or freezing is dangerous and may cause injury. Schylling has partnered with social media companies, such as TikTok, to remove influential content containing NeeDoh product misuse.
"Additionally, Schylling has added a product warning to NeeDoh packaging and our website to help combat product misuse.
"Schylling has made the Consumer Product Safety Commission aware and will continue to cooperate with them."
Topics: News, Parenting, TikTok, YouTube, Social Media
Niamh Shackleton