Doctors put a 7-year-old girl in a medically induced coma after she took part in a viral TikTok challenge, which went horribly wrong.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to a report by the New York Post, 7-year-old Scarlet Selby, from Festus, Missouri, received severe burns after trying to replicate a video she watched on the social media platform. Scarlet reportedly attempted to copy a challenge where TikTok users microwave a 'NeeDoh.'
Per Schylling, the company that makes them, a NeeDoh is a 'gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob. In other words, it's similar to a stress ball. The videos Scarlet watched showed users freezing their NeeDohs and then microwaving them to make them more malleable.
Scarlet's father, Josh Selby, recalls, "She'd frozen the NeeDoh cube the night before, and the next day, she showed me it was rock solid and was playing with it. She stuck it in the microwave. I was watching her and saw her touch it to check it wasn't too hot when she pulled it out."
The outlet explains that the NeeDoh exploded shortly after Scarlet removed it from the microwave, coating the youngster in molten hot goo. Selby reportedly heard Scarlet scream and started trying to scrape the substance off his daughter, but it was difficult as the goo was so sticky. Scarlet's father explained, "Whenever I touched her, my hand stuck to her." He eventually removed her shirt as the goo started sticking to her skin.
The 7-Year-Old Faces Life-Altering Injuries
Scarlet's parents rushed her to St. Louis Children's Hospital. The New York Post explains she was still screaming in pain when they arrived. Doctors reportedly placed Scarlet in a medically induced coma for three days as they were concerned that the burns on her mouth would cause her airways to swell up.
Doctors reportedly decided against skin grafts, although her mother, Amanda Blankenship, believes they may be required in the future due to the extent of the scarring. The outlet explains that the toy company has not addressed the incident. According to the specification page for NeeDoh, the toy is suitable for ages three and up. The warning reads 'CHOKING HAZARD-Small parts. Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury.'
TikTok's Violence and Dangerous Activities policy also says the site doesn't allow displaying or promoting dangerous activities and challenges or violence.
