Doctors warn about candied fruit TikTok trend that could cause serious burns

BOSTON - Doctors at Shriners Children's Boston are warning parents about a new TikTok trend that can cause serious burns, especially in children. It involves making homemade candied fruit.

What's the candied fruit trend?

Nearly 25% of TikTok users are children under the age of 17. Knowing that, doctors at Shriners Children's Boston are warning parents about a viral video that shows how to make homemade Tanghulu, otherwise known as Chinese candied fruit. The video has received nearly 14 million views and growing.

To make the treat, users are instructed to microwave sugar or hard candies to the melting point and then dip skewered fruit into it. But Shriners, and other burn centers around the country and even internationally, are seeing a correlated increase in kids coming in with severe burn injuries as a result of spilling hot sugar. A Pittsburgh-area boy recently suffered severe burns to his hand after spilling melted Jolly Ranchers while trying to make candy grapes.

How damaging can hot sugar be?

Hot sugar, versus hot soup or coffee, is especially dangerous because not only does it cause severe scald burns to the skin, but the burns can penetrate much deeper, often to critical areas such as the hand and face.

"Molten candy is 350 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you think about it, boiling water is 212, so once you get that temperature, it doesn't take a long time to create a burn," said Dr. Ariel Aballay, the director of West Penn Hospital's burn unit in Pennsylvania.

Doctors said if your child does suffer a burn, avoid ice. Instead remove any clothing from the area and immediately apply cool tap water for 20 minutes. Seek medical attention if the burn appears severe.