Social Media: A notable cause of child burns

Objective

Scalding and flame burns come first in the etiology of pediatric burns. Today, with the increase in internet use, the effect of social media on the etiology of burns is also seen. When the story of some children who applied for burns was questioned recently, it was observed that the children were affected by various images, videos, and duels on social media. They wanted to try what they saw with a sense of curiosity. This study aims to draw attention to child burns caused by social media's effects and raise awareness about their preventability.

Methods

Children who stated that they got burned because of watching social media in our burn center within one year were included in the study retrospectively. Children's age, gender, burning pattern, and graft needs were evaluated.

Results

In one year, eight patients (three girls and five boys) were admitted to the hospital with the complaint of burns caused by the effect of social media. All of them were flame burns. The ages of these patients were between 6 and 12 years, and their burn percentage was between 1 and 12. Grafts were performed in 4 patients. Three recovered with dressings after debridement, and one improved during outpatient follow-up. The hospitalization period of 7 patients who received inpatient treatment was recorded to be between 1 and 15 days.

Conclusions

Children's access to the Internet at an early age and unsupervised exposes them to many dangers, including burns. These burns can have serious consequences, such as hospitalization and graft needs. Steps should be taken to recognize and prevent the threat of social media. The study was presented as an oral presentation at the 39th National Congress of Pediatric Surgery held in İzmir/Kuşadası/Türkiye on 2–5 November 2022.