New Zealand, October 25, 2025 – A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand underwent major surgery after ingesting approximately 80–100 high-powered small magnets (neodymium), according to a case report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on October 24, 2025. The boy’s identity has not been disclosed in the report.
Doctors in the journal noted that while foreign body ingestion is common in pediatric patients and most objects pass without injury, only a minority require medical intervention. The journal emphasized:
“Ingestion of multiple magnetic objects, however, can have serious consequences such as pressure necrosis, perforation and fistulation and thus the majority (75–87.5%) of patients require surgical or endoscopic intervention.”
The boy was admitted to the hospital for four days after admitting to swallowing 80–100 magnets reportedly purchased from Temu. Abdominal X-rays revealed four linear chains of magnets in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. The magnets were located in separate parts of the bowel but adhered together due to their magnetic forces.
The patient underwent a laparotomy, which revealed multiple chains of magnets in different segments of the small bowel and caecum, causing pressure necrosis at multiple points in the right lower quadrant. Surgeons performed an ileocolic resection and two small bowel wedge resections to remove the magnets. Intraoperative imaging confirmed that no further magnets remained. The boy was discharged on post-operative day eight after successfully resuming his diet.
Laparotomy is derived from the Greek words lapara, meaning flank, and tomy, meaning cut. In surgical practice, this translates to a big cut in the abdomen to gain access to the peritoneal cavity. (1)
Temu, speaking to Radio New Zealand, expressed concern over the incident and wished the boy a full recovery. The company emphasized that it takes product safety seriously and actively monitors its platform to ensure that sellers comply with market safety regulations. However, Temu stated that it has not yet been able to confirm whether the magnets involved in this case were purchased through its marketplace or identify the specific product listing.
Temu is a Boston-based online marketplace that offers heavily discounted consumer goods, primarily shipped directly from manufacturers in China.
Both Australia and New Zealand have permanent bans on the sale of small high-powered magnets. While local enforcement is possible, regulating overseas merchants on large-scale online marketplaces is more difficult. These platforms are easily accessible to children, with purchases being inexpensive and often not requiring age verification.
References:
1. Rajaretnam N, Okoye E, Burns B. Laparotomy. [Updated 2023 May 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525961/
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