A mum has issued a warning to parents across the UK after her daughter attempted a TikTok challenge that could have left her scarred for life.
Emma-Louise Owen is warning other parents about the dangers of the 'tanghulu challenge', as it turned into ‘prison napalm’ in the microwave.
Emma’s 12-year-old daughter Sophie-Rosie was left with burn blisters after attempting the craze.
The challenge involves heating up sugar and water to make a sugar syrup, which is then glazed over fruit skewers before dipping in cold water to create a hard, crunchy surface.
Emma said her daughter asked her whether she could do the tanghulu challenge last month after spotting the trend on TikTok.
The 34-year-old agreed as she had seen the trend on other social media platforms too herself and warned Sophie to be careful but soon heard a piercing scream come from the kitchen.
Emma, who lives in Cardiff, said her daughter had heated the syrup using a plastic jug in the microwave - but the boiling hot sauce had melted through the container onto Sophie's foot and hand.
The mum-of-two submerged Sophie's foot and hand in cold water - noticing huge blisters were appearing across the youngster's skin.
Concerned, Emma rushed Sophie to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where doctors told the family they were 'lucky' the burns were not more severe.
Insurance handler Emma feels grateful her daughter was not blinded by the scorching hot liquid and is warning other parents about the viral craze.
The mixture boiling water and sugar, known as 'prison napalm', is often used as a weapon by prisoners as the deadly liquid sticks to the skin and intensifies burns, one of the principal effects of jelly-like napalm bombs.
Emma said: "We were told it could've been a lot worse. Because we acted so quickly and kept it under water for so long, we sort of killed off the burns.
"It could've easily splatted in her face and she would've had scars all over her face or been blinded. She has scars now from this.
"There's no disclaimers on social media about this challenge such as being careful of splats and making sure there's an adult with you.
"Kids just absorb everything from online. This could've been so much worse. I wanted to let other parents know the dangers of this. I don't want this happening to another person's child.
"You can't keep an eye on your kids 24/7 but just stay aware of what they're doing."
A TikTok spokesman said that candied fruit recipes have been on the internet for years pre-dating their platform, including on cooking shows and popular recipe platforms.
They explained that tanghulu is a popular Asian version of a sugar syrup-based sweet treat and claimed the making of it is not any more dangerous than cooking any other food at a high temperature.
The spokesperson emphasised that cooking and recipe videos are welcome on TikTok but stressed it was strictly a 13+ platform.
To help keep people from using the platform if they're not yet old enough, TikTok claimed they have designed a neutral, industry-standard age gate that requires people to fill in their complete date of birth rather than allowing them to select if they are under or over the age of 13.
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