Doctors at a prominent hospital in Boston are raising alarms after treating children for serious burns from instant cup noodles after they tried to replicate a trend from the hit movie “Kpop Demon Hunters.”
In a statement this month, Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston warned parents and children of the potential risks of a trend online in which children act like their favorite characters from the animated film by eating tall and narrow instant noodle cups, and often posting videos of themselves doing so with the hashtags #KPopNoodleChallenge and #DemonHuntersRamen.
Dr. Colleen Ryan, a doctor at the hospital, said in the statement that she had been treating children two to three times a week for burn injuries from instant noodles. Even before the movie, burn injuries from instant noodles made up almost a third of overall pediatric scald burn injuries, according to a study.
“Kpop Demon Hunters,” which was released over the summer on Netflix and became the platform’s biggest movie ever, has drawn attention to the problem. In the film, the protagonists eat instant cup noodles. The cups, made by Nongshim, are taller and thinner than many of the brands that use a shorter, but wider bowl.
Children are more vulnerable to burns than adults because they “have thinner skin the younger they are, and the temperature threshold for burn injury is even lower,” Dr. Ryan said.
Making instant noodles is simple enough: Pour the sauce packet and boiling water into the cup; cover and let it rest for a few minutes while the noodles cook through.
But the cups are usually thin and made of Styrofoam or cardboard, which add little protection from the heat and makes holding them difficult once filled with hot water.
“The cup noodles usually have a narrow base and water is filled to the brim,” making them easy to tip over, says Dr. Zach Zhang, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Vancouver, Canada. For smaller children, this could be even more dangerous if the water falls on their faces, he added.
Boiling water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit and can lead to scalding or in extreme cases, nerve damage. Some cup noodle products need to be microwaved, and spills often happen when they are removed from the appliance.
“We’re not saying kids shouldn’t participate in fun trends, but they must do it safely and with adult supervision,” Dr. Ryan said, adding, “A single spill can cause a deep and painful burn, resulting in a lifelong scar.”
Instant noodles had already been considered a burn hazard for children before the movie. A 2023 study conducted over a decade by researchers at the University of Chicago found that 31 percent of all pediatric scald admissions at the school’s medical centers were caused by instant noodles. Burns from cup noodles can be severe, resulting in hospitalization or surgery.
To prevent risk of injury, medical experts advise parents to chaperone their children if they are handling hot water, run cool tap water over a burn and bring injured children to emergency care.
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul.
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