A new TikTok trend is landing kids in the hospital.The "magnet" trend might sound harmless at first.
People place two magnets on either side of their tongue so that it looks like they've got a piercing.The "magnet" trend might sound harmless at first.
People place two magnets on either side of their tongue so that it looks like they've got a piercing.These small magnets are not just major choking hazards, swallowing one can cause severe, even fatal, damage to internal organs.In the U.K., at least three children have been hospitalized after swallowing magnets for the TikTok trend.In the U.K., at least three children have been hospitalized after swallowing magnets for the TikTok trend.Faye Elizabeth's 13-year-old daughter swallowed 15 magnetic beads and required major abdominal surgery.Ellis Tripp, an 11-year-old, underwent a six-hour surgery to remove five inches of his bowel after participating in the challenge.Meanwhile, 9-year-old Jack Mason had his appendix, small bowel and part of his large bowel removed after swallowing magnets."It was explained to me that the damage these magnets can cause could be so extreme that he might not pull through," Mason's mother, told BBC News.Gregor Walker, a pediatric surgeon involved with Mason's treatment at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow released a statement to BBC News."Increasing awareness is extremely important.
20% of the children who swallow magnets have required a procedure, with 10% requiring major surgery"