Urgent TikTok warning to parents after viral trend leaves boy, 12, hospitalized with severe burns
A VIRAL TikTok challenge is asking children to play with fire.
A child from East Haven, Connecticut, was hospitalized with severe burns on Tuesday after attempting a popular but seriously dangerous TikTok challenge.
East Haven fire officials issued a warning to parents after firefighters responded to a call on Tuesday night that someone had been burned.
The town's Fire Marshal Charles Miller plans to work with nearby schools to increase awareness about the dangers of playing with fire, as well as the dangers of the internet's influence.
"Take a few minutes to talk to your children about the dangers of playing with ignitable liquids and matches and monitor what they are watching," Miller said in a statement.
"This experiment when done incorrectly can cause severe burns that can permanently scar an individual.”
The "whoosh bottle experiment" involves flammable vapors combusting in a five-gallon water jug. The TikTok challenge went viral because when the vapor inside the jug becomes ignited, it makes a loud "whoosh" sound.
Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said that the child's experiment could have led to a fatality, as well as a major fire in the house.
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TikTok is now working to remove videos of the dangerous experiment.
"We understand that this school science experiment can be done safely with proper precautions, but videos without visible safety measures will be removed from our platform," a spokesperson for the app said in a statement to Newsweek.
"We also work to add caution labels to videos performed in a controlled setting, though they are ineligible for recommendation into people's For You feeds."
This isn't the first time that a TikTok challenge has put a child's life in danger. Just earlier this month, a 10-year-old girl died in her home while taking part in the TikTok "Blackout" challenge.
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