The family of an 11-year-old boy is warning about the dangers of a 'deadly' new TikTok trend, which has seen children hospitalised after swallowing magnets.
Ellis Tripp is in a critical condition in hospital after he swallowed five of the small magnetic balls, which were then discovered in his intestines and bowel.
Ellis had been ill for a week, but was rushed into theatre on Wednesday, with doctors suspecting that he might have been suffering from a burst appendix.
Advert
But doctors were shocked when they discovered his appendix was fine - then a magnet attached to their operating tools while they probed the cause of his pain.
He was taken to Birmingham Children's hospital on Friday 21 May, where he had life-saving surgery to remove three of the 'Magneto Balls'.
He then had another six-hour operation on Saturday, with surgeons taking out five inches of his bowel to remove the last two magnets.
Advert
It is thought that Ellis, from Worcester, may have been performing a dangerous TikTok craze which sees youngsters pretend to have their tongue pierced.
Mum Amy Clarke, 31, who has been by her son's side in hospital ever since, posted a warning to other parents.
She wrote on Facebook: "I'm in a nightmare.
"This TikTok craze could/would have killed him if left any longer. Please talk to your children and tell them how DANGEROUS THESE ARE.
Advert
"Magneto Beads are deadly if swallowed. They even have them in educational/childcare settings for children to play with. DESTROY THEM...!!!!!"
It is not clear how Ellis managed to swallow the balls as his family say they do not have any in the house and the schoolboy does not have TikTok.
Sue Davies, Ellis's grandmother, said surgeons claimed he was fifth youngster in just a week they have treated for swallowing magnets.
Sue, 50, said Ellis was today 'hooked up tubes and wires' as his body tries to fight the infection caused by his bowel leaking.
Advert
She added: "He is seriously, seriously ill.
"Two major surgeries in just a few days isn't good for anybody, let alone a child. I am absolutely gutted, it's a very worrying time.
"It has been a truly horrific experience. We didn't think this could have ever happened to us, these tiny magnetic balls have cased such damage.
"Ellis went into theatre yesterday at 3pm and came back to the ward at 9pm. They had to remove five inches of his bowel to get the remaining two magnets.
Advert
"They've also had to go through his intestines to get to them.
"We don't know where he got them from. His headteacher did a search and they found a lot of kids with them at school."
Sue said Ellis, who has a younger sister, Poppy, 10, and brother Reagan, 5, was facing a fight for his life.
She added: "The next 24 hours are going to be crucial. It's all about how his body fights this infection now after his bowel burst.
"We wouldn't have ever expected this. He's gone from being a happy, healthy 11-year-old to being hooked up on wires and drips.
"His mum hasn't left his side since Wednesday, she can't.
"He went in thinking it was appendicitis, which itself is a big thing, and he's ended up having major surgery."
A 13-year-old girl from Rainhill was also taken to hospital this week, needing surgery after complaining of stomach pains.
A scan showed up 10 of the ball bearings, with doctors operating and removing her appendix and part of her bowel. Fifteen of the magnets were removed during surgery.
A TikTok spokesperson told LADbible: "Keeping our community safe is our priority and a responsibility we take incredibly seriously.
"We do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous behaviour that might lead to injury. But there is no finish line for our teams.
"We continue to evolve our policies and invest heavily in our people and technology to help keep our community safe.
"The content in question violates our guidelines, and it had already been removed from our platform."
Featured Image Credit: SWNS