12-Year-Old Boy Left with ‘Severe Burns’ After Copying Experiment Seen on TikTok: ‘Like His Skin Melted Away’

A 12-year-old boy in Texas is recovering after suffering second- to third-degree burns across his body during a failed experiment inspired by social media, reports say.

On Aug. 16, Caden Ballard was at home in Coleman, Texas, with his older brother when he tried to recreate a TikTok experiment. The video showed a bottle filled with rubbing alcohol being set on fire to watch the flames rise, according to KXAN Austin and KRBC-TV, as well as CBS 42.

At first, the boys thought the experiment was “cool,” but things quickly went wrong. Isopropyl alcohol burns with a nearly invisible flame, making it very dangerous.

“It looked like the fire had gone out,” Caden told KXAN Austin. “So, my brother grabbed and said, ‘Here, throw it away.’ So, I grabbed it to throw it in the trash can, [and] my shirt was on fire.”

Caden’s mom, Christina, who was on the other side of the property, learned about the accident from a friend who heard the boys calling 911.

“When I walked up to the porch, he was just face, chest, arms, stomach covered in burns. It looked like his skin had been melted away,” Christina recalled, per KXAN Austin. She said the accident was surprising because her sons usually just watch “story times” on the app.

Christina is now urging other parents to warn their children about copying online videos. She said, “You never know if it could put them in the hospital or worse.”

Caden’s injuries were limited because his older brother quickly removed his shirt and told him to stop, drop, and roll to put out the flames. Christina praised her son’s bravery: “I don’t know how you were brave enough to reach into the flames and pull the shirt off of your brother. But I thank God every single day that you were brave enough to do that.”

Christina added, “We got very lucky; unfortunately, it’s bad, but Caden and I are very lucky that it wasn’t a lot worse,” per KXAN Austin.

A fundraiser set up for Caden’s medical bills has raised over $1,500 of its $25,000 goal as of Sept. 1.

In an update on Aug. 31, Christina said that after surgery, Caden was moved to Shriners Pediatric Burn Hospital in Galveston. He has since been discharged and is now receiving outpatient care.

“They think he may have some scars, but the Shriners Hospital has mentioned that they will be fitting him with compression garments like gloves and shirts to minimize thick scars,” Christina wrote.

“They also want to continue seeing him as he grows because scar tissue doesn’t stretch and grow the same way, and because he’s so young, he still has a lot of growing to do,” she said. She added that he may need plastic surgery in the future.

According to the fundraiser, Caden suffered “severe burns” over 11 percent of his body during the incident.