Violet Zerbst, a 10-year-old girl from Gold Coast, Australia, suffered severe facial burns after microwaving a gel-filled fidget toy, an incident that has highlighted the dangers of a viral social media trend. The toy exploded, causing boiling hot contents to burst onto her face, leaving her skin 'coming off' and ending up in her mouth.
The Incident
Violet decided to microwave the squishy toy for 30 seconds after seeing similar tricks on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. She intended to make the toy softer. When she squeezed the toy after removing it from the microwave, it exploded, covering her face with scalding gel. Screaming in pain, she was rushed to the bathroom by her mother, who held her face under cold water while her father called an ambulance.
Recounting the horror, Violet told 7News: 'I could feel my skin coming off. And it was in my mouth.' Her father, Jody Zerbst, described the sound of her screams as 'horrific.' He added, 'The skin sort of all peeled off and as it was in her mouth, she was trying to spit this out.'
Hospitalization and Growing Concern
Violet was treated at Gold Coast Hospital University for about a week. She was the second child admitted to the hospital that week with burns from a squishy toy. The incident has raised concerns about the dangerous trend of microwaving these toys, which are popular among children.
This is not an isolated case. In Illinois, USA, nine-year-old Caleb Chabolla suffered second-degree burns after microwaving a Needoh cube toy. He had heard from friends that microwaving would make it softer, a tip stemming from the same social media trend. The toy exploded, causing serious burns on his face and hands. His mother, Whitney Grubb, told ABC7 Chicago: 'He was crying and just yelling, 'It burns, it burns.' She added, 'The right side of his face was kind of melting off, basically.'
Social Media Trend Sparks Warning
The trend of microwaving squishy toys has been circulating on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, often showing seemingly harmless results. However, these toys are not designed to be heated, and doing so can cause them to explode, leading to severe burns. Parents and authorities are urging social media companies to remove such dangerous content and warn children about the risks.
Jody Zerbst, reflecting on the incident, said: 'I was trying to enjoy the soccer. It was Sunday morning and I think Brazil were playing and I felt a little bit guilty actually because I had made the comment that if it (the squishy) was heated up it might be a bit softer but not thinking that Violet would put it in the microwave.'
