Viral TikTok recipe leaves boy with severe burns, ER docs issue warning

Pittsburgh, PA — A mother says she just wants to go back in time and not watch a viral TikTok video that ended with her 9-year-old in the hospital with severe burns.

“I’ve had a lot of mom guilt for even thinking this was a good idea,” mom Christina Blackstone told our CBS affiliate KDKA.

What started as a fun bonding activity to make “candy grapes” ended with a trip to a local hospital.

A trendy video is popping up on TikTok, showing how to make “candy grapes.” Jolly Rancher-coated candy grapes are popular, but they’re suddenly sending people to the ER with severe burns.

Nine-year-old Caidan Blackstone still can’t use his hand.

“I went in complete shock the moment it happened,” Christina said. “I heard him scream and I said, ‘Oh no, this is terrible.’”

“It was supposed to be a fun afternoon activity, it was raining outside,” she said.

But that bowl of molten Jolly Ranchers came out of the microwave and somehow spilled onto Caidan’s hand as he walked with it to the counter.

The candy immediately started to harden.

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“My instinct was ‘just pull it off, Christina.’ So I just grabbed him, and I was yanking it off. I think I was tearing skin,” Christina said.

The burns from this TikTok idea can require skin grafting and cause nerve damage.

Dr. Ariel Aballay, the director of West Penn Hospital’s burn unit, said he’s speaking out before it gets any worse.

“We have seen in the last three weeks four patients -- two adults, two children,” Aballay said.

“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 Aballay.

Aballay wants all caregivers to remember this: If you’re dealing with a burn, ice is not your friend.

Immediately after a burn, put it in lukewarm water. Ice will make it worse. You just need to cool down the temperature of the skin.

If you see a blister, you’re already talking about a second-degree burn so you should take action.

Aballay added that you shouldn’t think you’re in the clear if it doesn’t hurt or blister because it can be a third-degree burn with nerve damage.

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