Boy, 7, almost dies after swallowing ‘humbug size’ magnets,
A seven-year-old boy needed emergency open surgery after swallowing two powerful magnets from a children’s game that has already raised red flags among safety chiefs over fears it could kill.
Naomi Rivers, 35, had left her son Eli Jepson watching TV at their home in Grantham, Lincolnshire, on May 11 when she suddenly heard him cry out in distress.
She found him choking and rushed to help. Moments later, he admitted—in a state of panic—that he had swallowed a magnet from Kluster, a game that contains large, humbug-sized magnetic pieces.
‘I have a fear of choking anyway—it was my worst nightmare come to life,’ said Ms Rivers.
At Grantham and District Hospital, an X-ray revealed the magnets had clamped together inside his stomach, then travelled to his small intestine where they became stuck again—posing a serious risk of internal damage.
He was transferred by blue-light ambulance to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where surgeons carried out emergency surgery to remove them.
Warnings have previously been issued about the game’s powerful magnets, which pose a serious risk to children if swallowed.
Parents are now calling for it to be banned altogether.
Recalling the ordeal, Ms Rivers said: ‘When we told the doctors he’d swallowed two magnets, a lot happened very, very quickly.
‘Because it was more than one, there was a serious risk — they said he needed immediate treatment.’
Surgeons were concerned the magnets could attract each other through the walls of vital organs or tissue, potentially causing perforations or life-threatening internal damage.
Doctors first tried to remove them using laxatives, followed by an endoscopy — a procedure involving a thin, flexible tube with a camera and tools passed through the mouth into the digestive system.
When that failed, they attempted keyhole surgery — but ultimately, the magnets could not be separated without opening Eli’s abdomen.
‘They tried with multiple instruments and just couldn’t get them,’ Ms Rivers said. ‘In the end they opened him up — the incision was about 10cm, or four inches.’
Eli spent four days recovering in hospital after the six-hour operation, but has since made a full recovery.
His mother has now thrown the game away and urged others to avoid giving magnets to young children.
Ms Rivers said: ‘You want to encourage children to play with toys to get them off devices — and then something like this happens.
‘My recommendation would be to not have these magnet toys around at all, and to educate children on how dangerous they are.’
Kluster is marketed as a dexterity-based board game in which players take turns placing magnetic stones within a loop of orange string, trying to avoid triggering a chain reaction as the magnets snap together.
Ms Rivers said Eli had been experimenting with the pieces before the accident.
‘He was putting one magnet on either side of his hand, and on different places on his body to see if they would stick together,’ she said.
‘Then he told me he wanted to see if they’d still stick if there was saliva between them—so he put one on the inside and one on the outside of his mouth.
‘They connected—and then he put them both in his mouth. He said he got the urge to swallow. He was choking on it because they’re just smaller than a mint humbug.’
A spokesperson for the game’s manufacturer, Borderline Editions, said: ‘Kluster is a board game, not a toy, and is intended for players aged 14 and over.
‘The box clearly displays a “14+” logo along with the warning: “This is not a toy. Recommended for ages 14+. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD.
“This product contains magnets. Swallowed magnets can cause serious injury. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed or inhaled”.’
They added: ‘The box includes a leaflet in multiple languages highlighting the risk that small magnets may pose to young children if ingested.
‘To our knowledge, this is the first such incident involving Kluster in the six years since the game was released on the market.
‘As a publisher, we cannot stress enough the importance of following the safety instructions and age restrictions.’
While the game is allowed in the UK, it was recalled in Canada for posing an ingestion hazard, in 2023.
In the recall, the Canadian Government who said it did not meat the countries magnet safety criteria said: ‘Small, powerful magnets can be easily swallowed by children of all ages, posing serious and potentially life-threatening risks.
‘When more than one powerful magnet is swallowed in a short period of time, the magnets can attract one another while moving through the intestines. This can cause the intestines to twist, creating blockages or tearing of the intestinal walls.’
However, the recall added: ‘As of December 21, 2023, the company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada.’
Similar games involving magnets have been banned in America and Australia over fears of choking hazards.
A magnetic game of several names exclusively sold on Temu.com through Outad Good Life was recalled in the US in June 2024.
The games are sold in a blue box with the words ‘Magnetic’, ‘Magnetism’, or ‘Magnetism Intelligence Strategy Game’ on the front of the box.
In the recall, the US watchdog said: ‘When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract each other, or another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system.
‘This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning and death.’
Meanwhile, just yesterday in the UK, a the Magnetic Effect Chess Intelligence Strategy Game sold via TikTok was urgently recalled.
The latest recall came over fears it posed a serious risk of injuries and the product has since been removed by the online marketplace.
