Child suffered second-degree burns partaking in this TikTok challenge, family says

The troubling trend grew in popularity on social media last year

An Illinois boy received second-degree burns to his face after a TikTok trend caused his toy to explode on him (Loyola Medicine)

An Illinois boy was hospitalized with severe burns after a TikTok trend caused his sensory toy to explode.

Caleb Chabolla, 9, heated his NeeDoh Nice Cube in the microwave at his home in Plainfield, a suburb of Chicago, after his friend said it would make the rubber toy more pliable.

However, the TikTok trend went wrong, and the toy exploded, causing severe burns to Caleb’s face.

“He was crying and just yelling, ‘It burns, it burns,” the boy’s mom, Whitney Grubb, told ABC 7 Chicago.

The popular sensory toy’s exterior is made of non-toxic silicone. Still, its inside consists of a thick, gel-like substance that became scalding hot inside the microwave — and later stuck to Caleb’s face.

An Illinois boy received second-degree burns to his face after a TikTok trend caused his toy to explode on him (Loyola Medicine)

The nine-year-old microwaved his NeeDoh toy after a friend told him it makes the toy pliable (Loyola Medicine)

“The right side of his face was kind of melting off, basically,” Grubb said.

The young boy suffered second-degree burns to his face and hands, and doctors at Loyola University Medical Center had to cut away dead skin, his mother told CBS News.

Fortunately for Caleb, he didn’t need any skin grafts. Still, he will likely develop scars, said Kelly McElligot, a burn unit doctor at the medical center.

The doctors also had an ophthalmologist check Caleb’s eye — and found his vision was luckily unaffected by the accident.

Caleb told ABC 7 that he blacked out after the incident and did not remember much after suffering the significant burns.

What he did know was that his friend, who told him about heating the toy in the microwave, did not get hurt.

“It’s like a stress toy. I didn’t know it was a trend on TikTok before, because my friend did it before, but she didn’t get hurt,” Caleb said.

Even though Caleb was unaware that his friend’s suggestion was a social media trend, his mother called on the people posting these troubling trends to keep younger social media users in mind.

Caleb suffered second-degree burns after the microwaved toy exploded on his face (Loyola Medicine)

“These people don’t know the repercussions of what these challenges and goofy trends can do to kids, especially the younger ones,” she said.

This was the fourth incident involving NeeDoh Cubes seen at Loyola University Medical Center this year.

“We see the negative results of TikTok challenges all the time,” McElligot told ABC 7. “The people who are getting hurt don’t necessarily post the TikToks. You’re just seeing the fun ones where it looks cool.”

The TikTok trend was largely popular online last year, prompting NeeDoh to add a warning label to its products, cautioning against freezing and heating the toys.

The mother and son are now urging other parents and children to be mindful before following trends that may be dangerous.

“Sometimes you take for granted what your knowledge is. That’s common sense to us, but not common sense to them,” Grubb told ABC 7.

Caleb said he is ready to return to school and tell his friends not to do what he did.

“Just think before you act,” he said.