31/03/2026
A mum shared to help raise awareness of the dangers of magnets.
She received a phone call from her child’s school to tell her she needed to take her child to hospital because she was experiencing abdominal pain.
Thanks to a widely shared Tik Tok trend, the child and her friend thought it would be cool to make it look like they had a tongue piercing.
Her daughter put a magnet on the top and the bottom of her tongue to see what it would look like. Her friend asked her to lift her tongue up to see the underneath and she accidentally swallowed them.
Why is swallowing magnets so dangerous?
Swallowing magnets can be extremely dangerous because they can attract each other through the walls of the intestines.
If multiple magnets get stuck in different parts of the intestines or bowels, they can pinch together, causing serious damage like perforations or blockages. It's really scary because this can lead to very serious complications if it isn’t dealt with quickly.
That's why if a child swallows any magnets, it's vital to get medical help fast.
Lots of toys for young children contain magnets so it’s important to only buy from reputable, trusted brands that have undergone UK safety testing standards. Look for the UKCA or CE mark.
Thankfully the child in question recovered without requiring surgery or the magnets causing any damage internally as they stayed together but it could have been a very different story.
Thank you so much to this mum (who wished to remain anonymous) for sharing their story and image with us to help warn other parents.
