A 13-year-old Alabama boy and his family are cautioning others about the dangers of a viral social media trend after he suffered third-degree burns when a microwaved sensory toy exploded.
Eli Blackmon was 11 when he saw videos on a popular social media platform showing people putting NeeDoh squishy toys in the microwave to soften them. The NeeDoh is a sensory toy described as a "gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob." Eli thought it was harmless because an adult had tried it without incident.
However, when Eli squeezed the toy after removing it from the microwave, the hot gel exploded onto his neck, chest, and hands, causing third-degree burns. The boy's mother, Fallon Blackmon, was not aware of the trend before her child's injury and acknowledged that she would have had a conversation with him about not participating if she had known.
Eli underwent treatment at a local children's hospital and later at a burn unit, where he received wound care and debridement. He had weekly visits for four months, during which doctors scraped off dead skin and performed wound care without pain medication or numbing.
In addition to the physical toll, the boy developed a rash from the bandages, which turned into a staph infection, and experienced severe lower GI issues due to the burn pulling fluids from his body. The family faced significant medical bills, totaling thousands of dollars, during the four-month care period.
The teen, a jiu-jitsu athlete, missed months of training and competing due to the injury. Now, Eli and his mother aim to prevent other families from going through the same ordeal. They urge parents to warn their children about the dangers of this trend and to be cautious when it comes to social media challenges.
Eli attends to his scar daily to maintain neck mobility, and his mother notes that sharing their story and receiving negative criticism from adults online would be worth preventing another child from experiencing something so traumatic.
A spokesperson for the social media platform had previously stated that any content promoting dangerous behavior that may lead to serious injury is considered a violation of their Community Guidelines. The platform claims to immediately remove such videos when found.
