Warning Issued Over Social Media Trend Plaguing Children's Safety, Leaving Nine-Year-Old with Severe Burns
In a shocking case, a 9-year-old boy from Plainfield was hospitalized after attempting to microwave a popular sensory toy called Needoh cube. According to his mother, Whitney Grubb, Caleb had been warned by a friend at school about the dangers of microwaving such items but chose to try it anyway.
Grubb explained that she had assumed Caleb was warming up her breakfast when he suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream after opening the microwave. The cube exploded on his face and hands, causing severe burns that left Grubb no choice but to rush him to the emergency room for treatment.
The incident has prompted warnings from Loyola Medicine, which is treating Caleb's case, stating that this is the fourth reported instance of children attempting to microwave Needoh cubes this year. Dr. Paula Petersen, a burn center advanced practice nurse at Loyola Medicine, emphasized the dangers of these trends, saying that young people often lack the foresight or understanding to consider the severe consequences.
TikTok has faced criticism over its handling of such content, with the platform's spokesperson Nick Smith stating that community guidelines prohibit promoting dangerous activities or challenges. The company claims to have removed 99.8% of problematic videos proactively last year and over 97% within 24 hours of being reported.
As part of National Burn Awareness Week, Loyola Medicine is sharing Caleb's story in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of these social media trends and to encourage parents and caregivers to monitor their children's online activity.
In a shocking case, a 9-year-old boy from Plainfield was hospitalized after attempting to microwave a popular sensory toy called Needoh cube. According to his mother, Whitney Grubb, Caleb had been warned by a friend at school about the dangers of microwaving such items but chose to try it anyway.
Grubb explained that she had assumed Caleb was warming up her breakfast when he suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream after opening the microwave. The cube exploded on his face and hands, causing severe burns that left Grubb no choice but to rush him to the emergency room for treatment.
The incident has prompted warnings from Loyola Medicine, which is treating Caleb's case, stating that this is the fourth reported instance of children attempting to microwave Needoh cubes this year. Dr. Paula Petersen, a burn center advanced practice nurse at Loyola Medicine, emphasized the dangers of these trends, saying that young people often lack the foresight or understanding to consider the severe consequences.
TikTok has faced criticism over its handling of such content, with the platform's spokesperson Nick Smith stating that community guidelines prohibit promoting dangerous activities or challenges. The company claims to have removed 99.8% of problematic videos proactively last year and over 97% within 24 hours of being reported.
As part of National Burn Awareness Week, Loyola Medicine is sharing Caleb's story in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of these social media trends and to encourage parents and caregivers to monitor their children's online activity.
I'm really concerned about this trend on TikTok where kids are trying to microwave all sorts of stuff, including Needoh cubes. It's just not worth it - those things can explode in a second and cause serious harm. 
The fact that Caleb was warned by his friend at school but still did it anyway is super worrying. As a parent, I think we need to be way more vigilant about what our kids are watching online.
And what about the creators who are encouraging this kind of behavior? Are they getting reported and punished?
We need to talk about this stuff as a community and make sure our kids know the risks. It's not worth taking any chances with their safety! 
Oh man, this is crazy! I mean, I know TikTok has been having some issues with kids doing stupid stuff online, but come on! Nine-year-olds trying to microwave toys? That's just not right 
. I'm all for a little creativity and experimentation, but this is just reckless and could've ended in tragedy. What's wrong with these kids, anyway? Didn't they learn from their parents or something? 
Anyway, glad that Caleb is going to be okay (I hope he recovers fully), but we need to take responsibility for our kids' online actions. Parents gotta keep a closer eye on this stuff, 'cause TikTok's just not doing enough 
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this is so worrying, I mean I know kids can be reckless sometimes but microwaving toys? it just sounds crazy 
it's not just the platform's responsibility, but also ours as grown-ups 
. I'm glad Caleb is gonna be okay (hopefully full recovery) but what's the point of even warning them on TikTok if they're just gonna ignore it?! 
and what really gets me is the parents just assuming their kids are warming up breakfast when they're actually trying to microwave something stupid 
we need better moderation and more awareness campaigns. also parents need to step up their game and be more involved in what their kids are doing online. this is not a joke, kids are getting hurt because of these stupid trends 
its not like the warning from tiktok isnt enuf! like whats next? tryna light ur own hair on fire? or even worse, microwaving a toy that's literally not s'posed to be in the microwave rn... i swear parents need 2 be more vigilant about what their kids r doing online lol. and btw 99.8% of vids being removed is still way too much 
It's just not worth it, you know? Like, Caleb thought he was warming up breakfast or something... 
He didn't even think about the consequences! That's what worries me - these kids have no idea how serious things can get. And TikTok needs to do better with monitoring this stuff, imo. I mean, 99.8% of problematic vids removed is cool and all, but it's still too many for my taste 
. We need to be more vigilant as parents and caregivers, making sure our little ones aren't getting influenced by these silly trends. Let's spread awareness and keep them safe online! 
. like, a friend tells him it's not safe and he still tries it? that's just crazy talk...and 99.8% of problematic vids are already removed by tiktok? how many more kids need to get hurt before they take action? 
I wish parents were as vigilant as I am when it comes to online safety 
parents need to have more control over their kid's screens, it's just not worth the risk 