NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Four children have been admitted to hospital after swallowing metal balls in a new and dangerous trend.

The craze involves children putting small magnetic balls in their mouth to mimic face piercings – one inside the mouth and the other outside.

However, some have accidentally swallowed them, risking severe damage to the digestive system.

Libbie Walker, six, was one such patient who suffered a perforated bowel and needed major surgery to have them removed. She has now been left with a seven-inch scar from her belly button to her hip.

Meanwhile in 2018 Freddie Webster, 12, was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary after he suffered a hole in the wall of his stomach.

They cause damage when they connect while inside the body – even between different parts of the digestive system – causing tears.

Despite being sold as a ‘creative toy’, they are considered so dangerous that in some countries they are illegal.

A doctor in Stockport wrote to parents saying: ‘I cannot emphasise [enough] how dangerous these can be if swallowed.

‘You may wonder why a child would swallow these or you may think “my child wouldn’t swallow them” but I plead with you to not take the risk.

‘Apparently, some children have been creating a larger ball using numerous small individual balls and putting them in their mouth, they then place other balls on the outside of their face.

‘They then use their tongue to move the larger ball in their mouth to make the balls on their face move, which understandably kids find amusing.

‘However, some of the individual balls in their mouth can come away and be accidentally swallowed.

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‘The balls are highly magnetic and when swallowed can cause severe damage to the digestive tract.

‘As the balls move through the bowel they can magnetise together even when in different parts of the bowel.

‘The pressure applied to the bowel tissue lying between the two magnets is so strong is causes a perforation in the bowel.

‘This is extremely serious and can be fatal if not identified and promptly fixed by abdominal surgery.

‘There has been a case locally in which a young child needed abdominal surgery and within Stockport I am aware of at least another three cases.

‘Please do not buy these for your children and if you already have them consider removing them.’

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