🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Ellis Tripp, an 11-year-old boy in Worcestershire, a county in the West Midlands region of England, was reported to have been "fighting for his life" after accidentally swallowing five small magnetic balls, possibly as part of a "TikTok craze."
The social media trend reportedly sees TikTok users pretend to have a tongue piercing using magnetic balls, which are placed on either side of the tongue. The balls are moved around to create the illusion that the tongue is pierced.
Amy Clarke, the mother of Tripp, warned in a post on her Facebook page: "I'm in a nightmare. This TikTok craze could/would have killed him if left any longer. Please talk to your children and tell them how DANGEROUS THESE ARE.
"Magneto Beads are deadly if swallowed. They even have them in educational/childcare settings for children to play with. DESTROY THEM...!!!!!," the post read.
The boy, a student at Nunnery Wood High School, was rushed to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Wednesday for emergency surgery after complaining of stomach pains, which were originally thought to be due to a burst appendix.
Doctors later found their operating tools attached to the magnetic balls as they investigated the source of his pain, according to the child's grandmother, Sue Davies.
She said her grandson was "seriously, seriously ill," after he underwent two six-hour surgeries at Birmingham Children's Hospital to have the magnetic balls removed.
The second operation, which took place Saturday, entailed removing five inches of his bowel to remove two of the balls. The other three balls were taken out earlier during surgery on Friday.
Davies told local media: "Peritonitis, a serious infection was confirmed but his appendix was fine, which caused confusion. Then the surgeons had to go searching. Internal damage was found to his intestines and bowel.
"During the keyhole surgery the tiny magnets popped through the bowel and attached to the operating equipment.
"They had to remove five inches of his bowel to get the remaining two magnets. They've also had to go through his intestines to get to them."
The family are unsure how the boy obtained the magnetic balls as they said there were none in their home. The child reportedly does not have a TikTok account, according to the U.K.'s Daily Record.
According to Davies, the surgeons said her grandson was the fifth young person in a week they had treated for swallowing magnets.
The grandmother also claimed staff at the boy's school had discovered other children who had magnets in their possession during a search.
In a statement to Newsweek, Stephen Powell, headteacher at the school, said: "The school has no information on how Ellis obtained these magnets though they are easy to order online.
"We've been told that his hospital in Birmingham has dealt with 6 children with injuries caused by magnets over the past week, showing that this is a serious national–if not international–problem."
Powell said: "I've shared what we know with all the secondary school headteachers in Worcestershire so that they can do all they can to keep their students safe. Students at Nunnery Wood High have been taught about the dangers these magnets pose and we've confiscated several sets from students–and will continue to do so," the statement read.
"Everyone in the Nunnery Wood High School community has been thinking about Ellis and his family as they go through this dreadful ordeal. School staff have been in touch with family members and we know that he is recovering after significant, major surgery," he added.
Speaking to Newsweek, a TikTok spokesperson said: "Keeping our community safe is our top priority and a responsibility we take incredibly seriously.
"We do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous behaviour that might lead to injury. But there is no finish line for our teams. We continue to evolve our policies and invest heavily in our people and technology to help keep our community safe," the spokesperson added.
According to the company, the aforementioned fake piercing illusion has not been a widespread trend on TikTok. The company said videos showing this trend violates TikTok's community guidelines and it "will remove any content – including video, audio, livestream, images, comments, and text – that violates our Community Guidelines," TikTok states on its website.
The boy's grandmother said: "It has been a truly horrific experience. We didn't think this could have ever happened to us, these tiny magnetic balls have caused such damage.
"We wouldn't have ever expected this. He's gone from being a happy, healthy 11-year-old to being hooked up on wires and drips," she added.
This article has been updated with comment from TikTok.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more