OREM, Utah — There are always new trends circulating on social media platforms or YouTube, and one Orem family is raising awareness about how some of those trends can turn dangerous.
Parker Tenney is just 8 years old, but he definitely knows how to have fun.
Summer is often the season when kids have the most fun, but over the next 18 months, Park will be doing things a little bit differently, all because of one of those social media trends.
“They had heard on YouTube Shorts ... that if you put these squishy balls in the microwave for 30 seconds, it’ll make them extra squishy,” explained Parker's mom, Cathy Tenney.
Cathy was talking about the squishy toy known as NeeDoh, and she shared how putting them in a microwave is a trend that parents need to be warned about.
“The gel from inside exploded on [Parker], with no shirt. I just heard a blood-curdling scream,” she remembered about the incident on May 18.
Parker suffered third-degree burns on his abdomen.
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“When they first told me, 'We’re going to need to admit him for at least 2 weeks, we’re going to need to do surgery,' I stood up and got emotional. Like wow,” shared Greg Tenney, Parker's father.
After 18 days in the University of Utah Burn Center and two skin graft surgeries, Parker was sent home Monday with a protective vest and a lot of hope.
“It will take like 18 months to 2 years to fully heal," Cathy explained. "So, we’re not out of the woods yet.”
The silver lining is that the Tenneys say things could have been much worse, and they want other parents to be aware of what’s going around on social media. A description on the website of the company that produces NeeDoh balls warns people not to heat, freeze, or microwave them.
“We just want parents to be careful with their children because almost everybody has a NeeDoh ball," said Greg. "These things are super popular."
