Urgent warning after viral TikTok trend ends with kids in hospital

Doctors have issued a warning after a 12-year-old Melbourne girl ended up in hospital after attempting a viral cooking hack she’d seen online.

Warning: Contains graphic imagery

It’s a popular trend that has taken over the screens of children everywhere, but doctors are warning it could have serious consequences.

Racking up millions of views on TikTok, the microwave tanghulu is one of the hottest recipes of the moment. Literally.

The viral recipe shows how you can make the sweet treat, a traditional Chinese snack consisting of fruits coated in rock sugar, “easily” at home using the common appliance, Kidspot reports.

But while thousands have been encouraged to try making the delicious treat for themselves, parents are being urged to practice extreme caution after several kids received “significant” burns in the process.

‘My skin was just sizzling, you could even hear it…’

Kids have been making tanghulu at home after a microwave hack went viral. Picture: TikTok/@vernahungrybanana

Submerging fruit into toffee and icy water, microwave tanghulu is the speedier version of the traditional Chinese candied snack.

It takes only five minutes to make and can be created using a few ingredients and a microwave.

However, as the trend increases, so does the likelihood of children trying to recreate the dish themselves without parental supervision.

While the biggest and most successful TikTok recreations show the creators making the recipes successfully, not all videos have the same outcome.

Some clips show exploding containers of hot, melted sugar oozing onto the inside of the microwave, shards of glass and ceramic scattered into every corner of the frame.

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But while many have successfully made the sugar coated fruit snack at home... Picture: TikTok/@megsdeangelis

... doctors are urging parents take caution after kids have ended up in hospital with severe burns. Picture: TikTok/@toptentiktokposts

This trend, unfortunately, isn’t only damaging kitchen appliances, it can seriously harm your children if not recreated correctly and without parental supervision.

“A lot of these toffee incidents happened in a plastic cup in the microwave, and the toffee just burns straight through that cup and drops onto hands, abdomens or feet,” said Royal Children’s Hospital surgeon Monique Bertinetti to The Herald Sun.

When Violet Higgins, 12, saw the microwave tanghulu trend on TikTok last month she knew she had to give it a try.

With millions of views and a relatively easy recipe, the Melbourne tween figured she’d give it a go herself, and considering a microwave was easier to use than the traditional stove.

“Everyone doesn’t put the part where they hurt themselves in the video,” she said. “They just say how fun it is, so I wanted to try it.”

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Violet Higgins, 12, has been badly burnt after the toffee burned through the plastic cup she used and landed on her toes. Picture: Herald Sun / David Caird

However, things didn’t go according to plan, with the boiling sugar melting the plastic bowl and landing directly on the 12-year-old’s foot.

Her mum was then forced to yank the toffee from her daughter’s skin, pulling off flesh in the process.

“Even after my mum pulled it off it was still burning,” Violet recalled. “It was just sizzling, you could even hear it on my skin.”

Four weeks later, Violet is still recovering. Using crutches to get around, she frequently visits the Royal Children’s Hospital to help remove dead skin from her foot.

Kids feel that viral toffee trend is ‘a safe thing to do’

In the span of a single month, the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne has reported three or four burn patients who spilt hot toffee on themselves.

Four weeks later, Violet is still recovering from her injury, with experts issuing a warning for parents. Picture: Supplied

Others on TikTok have also urged people ‘not to make the tanghulu in the microwave’. Picture: TikTok/

There have been 15 reported cases of toffee burns across Australia and New Zealand.

Monique Bertinetti said that one-third of the patients required skin grafts, and some will have to wait years before they’re fully recovered.

“We’ve certainly seen a spike in these toffee scald burns, especially in young adolescent teens who experiment off trends on social media,” she said.

“They feel it is a safe thing to do so, but often these things that we see on social media are not particularly safe and lead to serious harm.”

Sugar burns are some of the most dangerous types of burns, as the toffee can stick to the skin.

As the sugar starts to cool, parents will usually have to tear it off their children, which can lead to further damage and encourage the burn to run deeper.

“The temperature the toffee gets to is much higher than say a hot liquid,” she added. “It’s a significant burn all the way through, sometimes full thickness.”

If you or your child is harmed by boiling sugar, experts recommend removing any clothing, accessories or footwear from the injured area before running the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes.

Cover the wound with a loose and non-stick dressing, and re-dress the unburnt areas with clothing to keep the patient warm.

This article originally appeared on Kidspot and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Urgent warning after viral TikTok trend ends with kids in hospital