An eight-year-old boy known as Rhys Millum has lost his life after ingesting ten small magnets, possibly influenced by a dangerous TikTok craze.
The magnets, part of a toy set given to Rhys and his brother during a house clear-out, formed a lethal row in his bowel.
Rhys, described as a ‘live-wire’ and ‘daredevil,’ had discussed social media challenges with his brother just ten days before the tragedy.
His mother, Andrea Boyd, revealed seeing the magnets on TikTok in a ‘fake piercing challenge.’ The family discovered a video of Rhys discussing boosting social media profiles through daredevil stunts.
Mrs. Boyd shared her perspective, stating, “We did try to brainstorm why he would put them into his mouth. Someone mentioned this TikTok thing and thought it might be that. Richard had mentioned the balls to me. He got them for the boys to make sculptures out of them.”
Rhys’s father, Richard Millum, expressed his son’s affinity for the magnets, saying, “There are quite a lot of them, and they market them as a toy. Rhys was very hands-on and loved physical board games. He loved those magnets. He was messing around with them all the time.”
The coroner recorded a misadventure conclusion, emphasizing the need for awareness regarding the dangers of magnets, especially for children. Mrs. Catherine Cundy added, “This was a wholly tragic series of events.
Rhys did not understand the dangers of swallowing these magnets and did not tell anyone he had swallowed them or link them to his symptoms.”
