The social media platform TikTok is used to share helpful trends and challenges among its predominantly young audience, but some of them pose serious risks to children and teenagers.

We decided to highlight trends that can harm and threaten eye health.

The number of views, likes, and shares was documented for a video titled "How to make an explosive device," which boys found on TikTok. The video recommended purchasing "Krit" (a product for clearing clogs in drainage systems), mixing it with water, and adding finely chopped pieces of aluminum foil, resulting in an explosion. Following these instructions, our patients suffered burns to their hands, faces, and eyes.

For instance, a 10-year-old boy sustained alkaline burns to his eyelids, face, left wrist, and both eyes (cornea and conjunctiva, 3rd–4th degree) due to the explosive injury.

Another case involved a 9-year-old boy who, in the evening, made a homemade explosive device with his friend using "Krit," water, and pieces of aluminum foil, as seen on TikTok. This resulted in chemical burns to both eyes and his face.

Unfortunately, these incidents are far from isolated and are becoming increasingly frequent.

Thanks to the incredible professionalism of the doctors of the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmic Pathology of the State Institution "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine," led by MD, Prof. Bobrova N.F., our young patients were able to preserve their eyes and restore their vision.

However, parents, take note! We warn you that exposure to unconventional information on social media platforms poses significant dangers to your children and can lead to irreversible adverse consequences.

Thus, parents must remain vigilant about inappropriate and outright senseless content on social media platforms.