Posted on 10/25/2025 7:39:30 PM PDT by Red Badger
(TNND) — A New Zealand boy who swallowed up to 100 high-powered magnets underwent surgery to remove them from his gut.
The 13-year-old was admitted to Tauranga Hospital on New Zealand's North Island.
Doctors realized the magnets joined together to form chains in his insides. X-rays showed four different chains of magnets in sections of his insides, cutting off blood flow to nearby tissue.
According to a report by doctors at the hospital, published Friday in the New Zealand Medical Journal, surgeons removed “approximately 80–100 5x2mm high-power neodymium magnets."
The boy, who was not identified in the report, spent 8 days in the hospital.
However, the surgeons warned that the boy may face long-term complications, such as bowel obstructions, hernias, or chronic abdominal pain.
Although New Zealand banned the selling of small high-powered magnets in 2013, the report said the boy got his hands on the magnet through the online shop Temu. The country banned the magnets due to swallowing cases.
“These magnets are harmless to play with but if swallowed can cause serious internal damage that can require major surgery,” said Simon Bridges in a written statement, then New Zealand’s consumer affairs minister, at the time of the ban.
When the ban was put in place, New Zealand noted it would be difficult to get rid of magnets from online sources.
"Despite the ban small high-power magnets continue to be sold. The Commerce Commission has taken at least two retailers to court for selling the magnets and therefore breaching the Notice," said Professor Alex Sims, Department of Commercial Law, School of Business, University of Auckland, in a written statement.
In a statement to NBC News, Temu said it has not yet been able to confirm whether the magnets in question were purchased through its platform.
“We are sorry to learn about the reported incident and wish the boy a full and speedy recovery,” Temu’s spokesperson told NBC.
They have to admit there's a certain electricity when he walks into a room.
Or he watched too many X-Men movies and decided he wanted to be just like Magneto!
Fatal Attraction? ‘You can’t just ignore me, Dan.’
“I ... am ... Iron Man, get off me kid.”
Must be a New Zealand thing...
I guess he has a magnetic personality!!! 😀
Visit California and you’ll see how gene brake down happens.
You would never believe the stupid things teens do here unless you see them first hand.
And the when they get a car things gets worse much worse.
Swallowing magnets, particularly among children, can occur due to curiosity, trends, or the appeal of small, colorful toys, but it poses serious health risks.
Reasons for Swallowing Magnets
Curiosity and Play: Children are often curious and may swallow magnets while playing with them, especially if they are marketed as toys or fidget items. The small size and bright colors can make them particularly appealing to young children.
2
Social Media Trends: There have been alarming trends on social media where children mimic piercings using magnets, leading to accidental ingestion. This behavior can be influenced by peer pressure or the desire to imitate what they see online.
2
Lack of Awareness: Many children and even some adults may not fully understand the dangers associated with swallowing magnets, especially high-powered neodymium magnets, which are much stronger than traditional magnets.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-powered-magnets-eaten-removed-surgery-new-zealand/
Pics of the magnets and x-rays.............
This is why we can’t have nice things................
Woah!!!!!
The kid ordered the magnets from temu and swallowed them ONE WEEK prior to his hospitalization, having only had pain for the prior 4 days. The xray pic is something to behold:
8 days in the hospital. Doubtful it resonated with this idiot.
LOL
We must both be scrolling CFP!!!
CFP must be watching us, since we had the story yesterday!..............
Ha
,,, everything was just fine before the previous [Labour] government thought they'd be the parent and introduce school lunches. Magnets weren't on the menu.
Indeed and never them alone to long if quiet look for them.
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