A Prague hospital reported on Friday that it is treating five children who accidentally swallowed magnets while participating in a “piercing challenge” they discovered on TikTok.
According to the Prague-Motol hospital, the children had placed small sphere-shaped magnets on their tongues to mimic piercings and inadvertently swallowed them.
The hospital noted that one child was fortunate enough to pass the magnets without issue, but the others remain hospitalized, with two likely needing emergency surgeries that day.
Medical staff warned that swallowing multiple magnets or a magnet along with a metal object poses serious health risks, as these items can attract each other within the body. This can lead to complications such as damage to the stomach and intestines, or potentially cause perforation and inflammation.