A Donegal woman has issued a warning after her 13-year-old granddaughter suffered serious burns while attempting an online challenge.
Kathy O’Connor’s granddaughter was playing with a friends on Sunday when she attempted a challenge with hand sanitiser.
The challenge involves spraying your hand with sanitiser and setting it alight. The challenge is based on a dangerous idea that the alcohol burns off quickly and does not burn the person’s skin.
But the stunt can easily go awry, as one local family learned.
“What happened my granddaughter is that the alcohol didn’t burn off and she got burnt,” Kathy told Donegal Daily.
“Whether it was down to the sanitiser she was using, I don’t know.”
The girl was taken to hospital and treated for 3rd degree burns. She is now suffering from painful blisters and has to get her bandages changed every second day. She also has to take extreme care to avoid infection.
Kathy said the situation could have gotten so much worse if it wasn’t for the quick actions of the girl’s parents.
“The concern I had for her is that she has very long hair. It could have gone on fire as well. Once you light anything you have no guarantee what will catch fire,” Kathy said.
The long-term prognosis for Kathy’s granddaughter is that she will heal, but it will be a while before she gets back to her regular sports like football.
Kathy is urging parents and grandparents to watch out for their children attempting something similar.
“She’s only 13, and at that age, they experiment, but these challenges are quite serious I am much more alert now,” Kathy said.
“Adults might not know about this challenge, but this is the type of thing kids can get up to and there is no way to monitor what they see on apps like TikTok.
“If you see children with a lighter, ask what is going on here. It’s all a joke until something goes wrong.”
