Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Squishy toy leaves young girl with severe burns<\/p>\n She told 7NEWS she had seen people online heating those fidgets up to make them softer.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s really hard, you think… warm it up,\u201d Violet said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I went to the microwave and I put it in for 30 seconds and I was just waiting and then I got it and I was just squishing it. <\/p>\n \u201cThe liquid was like at the bottom and then it went into a sort of ball and it burst onto my face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt literally just exploded,\u201d her father Jody Zerbst added.<\/p>\n The super-hot toy\u2019s contents splashed onto her face, lips and mouth, leaving her screaming in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of pain,\u201d Violet said.<\/p>\n \u201cI could feel my skin coming off. And it was in my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n She immediately ran to the bathroom, where her mother held her face under cold water while her father called an ambulance.<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to enjoy the soccer. It was Sunday morning and I think Brazil were playing and I felt a little bit guilty actually because I had made the comment that if it (the squishy) was heated up it might be a bit softer but not thinking that Violet would put it in the microwave,\u201d her father said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just quite a horrific for a parent to have to hear their child screaming and know that they\u2019d burnt themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the burns were so severe skin had peeled away from parts of Violet\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cThe skin sort of all peeled off and as it was in her mouth, she was trying to spit this out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Paramedics treated Violet at the scene before taking her to hospital, where she remained for a week recovering from her injuries.<\/p>\n The incident has reignited concerns about a social media craze on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube that encourages children to heat squishy toys in microwaves to soften them before use.<\/p>\n But doctors say the trend has caused second and third-degree burns in children across Australia and overseas.<\/p>\n Violet was the second child rushed to the Gold Coast Hospital University last week with burns from a squishy.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, toys should not be going into the microwave,\u201d Queensland<\/a> Children\u2019s Hospital burns specialist Dr Veevek Thankey said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would want parents to initiate first aid management as soon as the burns happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWhichever body part that\u2019s been affected by the burns run under cool running water for at least 20 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cMake sure that no ice actually put onto the burn because that will actually make the burn worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Some brands warn the toys should never be heated, frozen or microwaved, but many cheaper knock-offs are sold without the same safety warnings. <\/p>\n Now recovering at home, Violet and her family hope sharing their experience will stop other children from trying the trend themselves.<\/p>\n![\"Violet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9cff0d1039e7c77c682464bea26ae67465068935-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
Violet Zerbst demonstrates how a squishy toy exploded in her face. Credit: 7NEWS![\"Doctors](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/819418258fb5bcf0e7645847bc66df0d98c18822-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
Doctors treated Violet for painful burns after the heated up toy burst. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/00403d39b7c7b9805c4627e96c982ee98911b595-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
The 10-year-old is warning other children not to copy the dangerous social media craze. Credit: Supplied![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0ae793d501669abab85d592850788648ec8da684-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
The burns left Violet with significant swelling and injuries across one side of her face. Credit: SuppliedDangerous viral trend<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2940204e83cc953b256c18ae91218c6c45e6e3c3-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
A US child suffered severe facial burns in a similar incident involving a heated squishy toy, highlighting concerns about the viral trend. Credit: Loyola Medicine![\"Not](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/926350bb1067271087fd57d9239eabc8ef69d41b-16x9-x0y0w1920h1080.jpg\")
Not all squishy toys carry the same warnings, but some manufacturers specifically advise against heating, freezing or microwaving the products. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n