To say that Squid Game has become a massive hit is a bit of an understatement. The wildly popular Netflix series which sees a group of financially strapped characters risk their lives to play a series of children’s games for a hefty cash prize has become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring Halloween costumes, real-life recreations of the giant Red Light, Green Light doll in Sydney, Australia, and even TikTok trends. However, it’s those TikTok trends inspired by Squid Game that have resulted in serious injuries for one 14-year-old child in Australia.
According to the Daily Mail, 14-year-old Aiden Higgie suffered third-degree burns on his leg after he attempted a TikTok challenge inspired by Squid Game. Specifically, Higgie attempted the challenge that called for participants to make a thin sheet of honeycomb, then carve out a shape using a pin all without breaking the fragile honeycomb. The problem occurred when Higgie attempted to make the honeycomb using a recipe he found on the popular social media site that involved combining water, bicarb soda, and sugar in a plastic cup.
“It boiled up to a ridiculous temperature, and when he took the cup out it exploded in his hand,” Higgie’s mother, Helen, explained. “It has burnt his hand, and because it was sugar and plastic melted together, it has run down his leg from his knee down to his shin and it stuck and kept on burning and burning and burning. It was like toffee and burnt right through to the nerves.”
Per the report, Higgie will spend the next year in a pressure bandage to heal from the burns. And Higgie isn’t alone in sustaining significant injuries attempting the challenge. He’s one of three that have recently been admitted to Westmead Children’s Hospital for burns related to the challenge.
While Squid Game has been a massive success for Netflix, it has not been without controversy. Psychologist Dr. Robin Burwitch of Duke University Medical Center recently advised against allowing children to watch Squid Game due to the violence and subject matter portrayed in the series. The Central Bedfordshire council in England had a similar take on the situation as well.
“This is not something young children should be watching,” Dr. Gurwitch told People. “There’s nothing redeeming or positive here for children.”
Squid Game is now streaming on Netflix.
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