WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Children and young people are microwaving squishy silicone toys after seeing online videos claiming this makes the toys softer and more pliable. When the toy is squeezed afterwards, it bursts and sprays boiling material, which reportedly has left children’s hands and faces seriously burned.
- The toys are widely available in UK shops, and online stores including Amazon and TikTok Shop and are immensely popular for both children and young people.
- Often, the packaging for these toys provides a warning not to heat, freeze or microwave. Children are ignoring it because the online videos they watch encourage them to do the opposite. The child may no longer have the original packaging to even see the warning.
- The silicone casing insulates heat yet the outside stays cool to the touch, all while the inside reaches boiling temperatures.
- In most reported cases, the child was unsupervised. There was no adult present to intervene before the injury occurred.
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