Hospitals Warn Against 'Squid Game' Challenge As Kids Suffer Serious Burns

Children have been rushed to hospital with serious burns after attempting to take part in an online Squid Game challenge.

The popular challenge sees users attempt to make the Dalgona candy that appears in the show. In the series, contestants are made to cut out a shape template in the cookie using a needle. The challenge encourages users to make the treat themselves using heated sugar and baking soda, before then attempting to cut out the shape.

Doctors at a hospital in England have reported children suffering from serious burns while attempting to make the honeycomb, which has a high boiling point and sticks to the skin.

Birmingham Children's Hospital told the BBC that the trend has left them worried: "We're really worried after seeing several children with very deep skin injuries caused by scald linked to the social media trend," said Oliver Sawyer, a consultant burns and plastic surgeon at the hospital.

"Given the very high boiling point of the substance, any scalds do really have potential to cause serious scarring."

"We advise that children should be accompanied by an adult if they want to use the oven hob or heat that could have the potential to cause serious injuries," said a spokesperson for the hospital.

The video can also be seen here.

Squid Game challenge injuries aren't an isolated incident either, as a hospital in Australia reported similar injuries. According to The Daily Telegraph, three children were admitted to a hospital in Sydney with injuries from the challenge.

"We've had three cases here and from my colleagues I've heard of one in Perth one one in Melbourne as well," said Dr. Erik La Hei, acting head of Burns at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network. "Molten sugar is much hotter than boiling water and it makes for a very deep burn almost instantaneously, it's quite dangerous."

14-year-old Aiden Higgie was one of the children injured after doing the challenge, leaving him with third-degree burns on his leg. He had melted the sugar in a non-microwavable cup, which exploded and split the mixture on him.

"It's very popular and Aiden was trying to recreate the honeycomb with the imprint on it, he looked it up on TikTok on how to create it," said mother Helena Higgie to The Daily Telegraph.

According to Helena Higgie, the cup "exploded" in his hand when he removed it from the microwave, after it boiled to a "ridiculous temperature."

"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," she said. "It was like toffee and burnt right through to the nerves."

Now, Aiden Higgie is left visiting the hospital every few days "doing dressings" on the burns and doctors are deciding whether he needs skin grafts. He will need to wear a pressure bandage for a year.

Dr. Erik La Hei advised that the most effective first aid in the case of burns from the challenge is to run it under cool running water for 20 minutes.