Doctors Issue Urgent Warning Over Dangerous and Viral Jolly Rancher TikTok Trend

Doctors are warning parents about a candy-making trend currently going viral on TikTok that is sending some people to the hospital.

The trend centers around the creation of candy grapes. The treats are made by coating grapes with melted-down Jolly Ranchers , resulting in hard candy-coated pieces of fruit.

Though the project sounds delicious, it can be dangerous, as the candies need to get extremely hot in order to melt. According to medical professionals in Pennsylvania who have recently treated some burn victims in connection to the trend, hard candies like Jolly Ranchers need to heat up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in order to become molten. In comparison, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Christina Blackstone , the mother of a 9-year-old who accidentally spilled melted Jolly Ranchers on his hand during a supervised attempt to make candy grapes, told CBS News that she had thought of the candy project as a “fun afternoon activity” on a day when the weather left the two of them stuck inside.

After the candy began to harden on her child’s hand, Blackstone said her “instinct” was to “pull it off,” a decision that doctors later told her likely prevented her son’s burns from being even more severe than they already were. As it was, her child suffered second-degree burns and still had difficulty using his hand as of Wednesday, Aug. 14, about three weeks after the incident occurred, she told the news outlet.

Dr. Ariel Aballay , who serves as the director of the burn unit at West Penn Hospital, told CBS News that his team has treated two adults and two children in connection with the viral trend in the last three weeks.

Aballay and other medical professionals at Shriners Children's Hospital in Boston, Mass., are warning parents to practice safety when handling extremely hot substances, according to The Independent . Blisters indicate second-degree burns and third-degree burns can lead to nerve damage. In the event of a burn, it is better to place the affected area in lukewarm water rather than cover it with ice, he advised.

Next: Viral KitKat Trend Involving Unlikely Condiment May Have Just Inspired a New Flavor