Doctors warn of magnetic toy dangers as study reveals hundreds of children hospitalized (2025)

Doctors warn of magnetic toy dangers as study reveals hundreds of children hospitalized (1)

Parents are being warned against buying toys containing magnets after new data revealed that hundreds of children have been hospitalized from swallowing them.

A study found that about 300 U.K. youngsters were admitted to A&E in a single year after ingesting the tiny metal items—with 1 in 10 requiring life-saving operations.

Doctors also revealed that children who swallow two or more magnets were at a far higher risk of long-term damage, as the pieces can clamp together in their tummy.

The study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood by the University of Southampton, is the first to investigate how many children under the age of 16 in the U.K. have been affected.

Lead author Professor of Pediatric Surgery Nigel Hall, who works at the University and Southampton Children's Hospital, said retailers must do more to increase warnings on magnetic toy labels.

He added, "Our study reveals that 300 children and young people are being hospitalized each year in the U.K. after ingesting magnets.

"These magnets have the potential to harm a large number of children and young people and increase work for the NHS.

"Yet many magnetic toys provide very little warning for parents and caregivers of the dangers they pose, particularly those purchased from online marketplaces.

"Having an unplanned emergency operation is a traumatic experience for any child and their family—and needing a surgical procedure means time in hospital for days after.

"Around 1 in 10 of these young patients had surgery with most ending up with serious problems, like needing part of their bowel removed or requiring a stoma."

The new Southampton study, MAGNETIC, was published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood journal.

More than 2 in every 100,000 children swallow magnets each year according to the data, which was provided by 66 U.K. hospitals between May 2022 and April 2023.

However, that figure is likely to be far higher, according to Prof Hall, as not all hospitals shared their data with the University team.

The study also found that 6% of swallowing cases were linked to viral social media trends, where the children—mostly girls—were trying to imitate tongue piercings by placing small magnets in their mouths.

Magnets are found in a wide range of toys, such as magnetic ball sets as well as fake piercings and other household objects.

The research has been welcomed by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, which is the only U.K. charity to focus on preventing death and serious injury to young people from avoidable accidents.

Its Chief Executive, Katrina Phillips OBE said, "Take great care when buying magnets. We've seen magnetic toys with a flux of 850, 17 times higher than the legal limit of 50.

"These super-strong magnets can rip through a child's guts and leave them with life-changing injuries. One boy has died.

"Take a moment to check who you're buying from. Don't assume that, just because you can buy something, it must be safe."

Doctors from Southampton also emphasized the importance of attending emergency departments early if a child is known or suspected to have swallowed a magnet.

Prof Hall added, "Most children who have swallowed a magnet do not show any symptoms, so it is really important that all cases have an X-ray to find out for certain."

Two-year-old Rebecca McCarthy was left fighting for her life in 2021 after swallowing 14 brightly colored magnetic balls.

The toddler had two hours of surgery where doctors temporarily removed her intestines to reach the magnets that had attracted together and buried deep into her tissue.

Her mother Sam, from Basildon, said the first sign Rebecca was unwell was when she vomited one lunchtime.

She added, "Rebecca's accident devastated the whole family. She had months of ongoing health issues. I still find it incredibly painful to think about.

"The memory will never fade. I would hate for any other child to go through what Becca suffered because of buying dangerous toys from sellers on online marketplaces."

The Child Accident Prevention Trust is working alongside the report authors to raise awareness of the dangers of strong magnets.

It is offering five top tips for parents to help keep their children safe.

  1. If you have small children, don't have small loose magnets in the house.
  2. Small magnetic fidget sets for adults or older children can be very dangerous for any age child if they swallow the magnets.
  3. Only buy magnetic toys from reputable retailers or brand names you know.
  4. Never buy cheap magnetic toys or products from third-party sellers on online marketplaces
  5. If you think your child may have swallowed magnets go straight to A&E or call an ambulance.

More information: Jonathan J Neville et al, Magnet ingestion in children in the United Kingdom: a national prospective observational surveillance study, Archives of Disease in Childhood (2025). DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-328195

Journal information:Archives of Disease in Childhood

Provided byUniversity of Southampton

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Doctors warn of magnetic toy dangers as study reveals hundreds of children hospitalized (2025)

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