A recent social media trend, encouraging children to improperly heat a popular gel-filled sensory toy, known as the NeeDoh “Nice Cube,” has sent several children to the hospital with burn injuries. The trend involves microwaving the toy to make it softer and more pliable, despite the product being designed to be handled at room temperature.
In one recent Illinois incident, a 9-year-old child suffered severe facial burns after heating the toy in a microwave. The gel inside the toy rapidly heated and caused the cube to burst. When the toy burst, the hot gel contents came into contact with the child’s skin, inflicting serious burns. The child, initially treated at a local hospital and later transferred to a regional burn center for specialized care, is now recovering. Physicians report that he did not suffer permanent vision damage.
Incidents such as this one raise serious product safety concerns for children and parents. Medical professionals warn that the risk does not exist in isolation, and many of the injuries they see often occur within a broader pattern of social media-driven trends that encourage children to experiment with everyday items in dangerous ways.
The Hidden Dangers of Social Media Trends
Loyola University Medical Center reports that this Illinois child is the fourth patient they have treated this year alone for injuries involving NeeDoh cubes being heated in a microwave.
This case raises concerns about how quickly unsafe ideas spread among kids, even indirectly. When kids see peers experimenting with toys in unsafe ways, they may assume the activity is harmless. Burn outreach coordinator Kelly McElligott emphasized that viral trends often show only the “fun” or visually appealing results, not the devastating consequences.
Medical professionals across the country have reported seeing a growing number of injuries tied to viral challenges that encourage children to engage in dangerous behavior.
Other recent viral trends that have sent children to the hospital include:
- Fire challenge – Encourages children to apply hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol to their hands or skin and ignite it, posing a serious risk of burns and fire-related injuries.
- “DIY Tanghulu” – Involves making candied fruit using extremely hot, boiling sugar, which can cause severe burns if spilled or mishandled.
- Benadryl Challenge – Promotes taking excessive amounts of an over-the-counter allergy medication to experience hallucinations, increasing the risk of poisoning, heart complications, and other serious medical emergencies.
- Blackout Challenge – Encourages children to restrict airflow or choke themselves until they lose consciousness, creating a high risk of brain injury, organ damage, or death.
- “Jam Jar Pulse Jet” – Involves igniting rubbing alcohol inside a jar on fire to create a makeshift combustion device, which can explode or cause burns and other serious injuries.
For parents, these incidents underscore the importance of understanding how online challenges translate into real-world harm, even when children are not directly using social media themselves.
Potential Legal Options After a Child is Injured by a Dangerous Trend
When a child is seriously injured after participating in a viral trend, families can be left with mounting medical bills, emotional trauma, and questions about accountability. Depending on the circumstances, families may have legal options to hold manufacturers or other responsible parties accountable and be able to seek compensation for their child’s injuries.
One potential avenue is a product liability claim. These cases may focus on whether the toy had adequate warnings, whether the warnings were clearly communicated to children and parents, or whether the product design made it unreasonably dangerous when misused in a foreseeable way. If a manufacturer knew, or should have known, that consumers were heating the product and failed to take additional steps to prevent harm, that could become a key issue.
Another area of consideration is failure to warn or inadequate labeling. Even if a product is safe when used as intended, companies may still have a duty to anticipate common misuse, particularly when children are involved. Courts often examine whether warnings were prominent, understandable, and effective.
In other cases, broader questions may arise about platform responsibility and the role of viral trends in encouraging unsafe behavior. These cases can be complex and involve emerging legal questions, particularly when multiple parties or platforms may have played a role in encouraging unsafe behavior.
Every case is different, and the possibility of a valid claim depends on specific facts, medical outcomes, and applicable state law. Speaking with an experienced attorney can help families understand their rights, identify responsible pirates, and determine whether pursuing legal action is appropriate.
How We Can Help
- Case Evaluation: We will investigate if the product lacked adequate safety warnings or “misuse” disclosures.
- Identifying Responsibility: We look at manufacturers, distributors, and other parties who may be liable for your child’s injuries.
- Fighting for Compensation: We help you seek damages for medical expenses, specialized burn care, and pain and suffering.
Protect your family’s rights. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation to discuss your legal options.