WARNING: Graphic photos

A Queensland family has become the target of a vicious torrent of online abuse after a schoolgirl suffered severe facial burns when a squishy sensory toy exploded.

Violet Zerbst, 10, was playing with a knock-off NeeDoh, a squishy sensory toy filled with a gel-like liquid designed to reduce stress, after heating it up in a microwave when it burst in her face.

The contents of the toy sprayed onto Violet, causing significant chemical burns that left her face raw and blistered.

“I went to the microwave and I put it in and I was just waiting... and then I got it and I was just squishing it,” Violet told 7News on Tuesday.

“The liquid was like at the bottom and then it went into a sort of ball and it burst onto my face.

“I could feel my skin coming off. And it was in my mouth.”

Her father Jody Zerbst added: “It literally just exploded.”

She was treated at home by paramedics before being rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital where she spent one week receiving treatment and recovering from her injuries.

In the wake of the dangerous incident, Violet’s dad decided to warn other parents in hopes of sparing other families similar pain.

But he wasn’t expecting to be met with a barrage of online abuse, with trolls claiming his daughter “deserves to burn.”

“There’s thousands of comments, and they’re just brutal,” Mr Zerbst told news.com.au.

“They’re ranging from … how stupid the parents are to like, ‘oh, that kid deserves to burn. How dumb can you be’ and just really twisted sort of mean stuff.”

Some social media users blamed Violet’s parents for the incident, accusing them of not supervising their child.

‘[It is] parental neglect not teaching kids about hot liquids and the dangers,” one person wrote.

Another said it is “common sense” not to put a toy in the microwave.

Despite the backlash, Mr Zerbst was able to maintain his humour and brushed off the negative comments.

“All Violet’s older sisters just thought it was hilarious. That was kind of a good entertainment for a few hours”.

Mr Zerbst said the family was grateful for the actions of medical staff who assisted Violet.

“Everybody from the ambos, to the nurses... they were just amazing and compassionate and expert and thorough,” he said.

“I just thought, my god we are so privileged here.”

According to Daily Mail, NeeDoh toys come with a warning on their packaging, but some knock-off versions are not clearly labelled.

The scary incident has renewed warnings from doctors about a rise in online trends that encourage kids to soften sensory toys using a microwave.

“First of all, toys should not be going into the microwave,” Queensland Children’s Hospital burns specialist Dr Veevek Thankey said.

“We would want parents to initiate first aid management as soon as the burns happen.

“Whichever body part that’s been affected by the burns run under cool running water for at least 20 minutes.

“Make sure that no ice actually put onto the burn because that will actually make the burn worse.”

The Nightly is not suggesting Schylling, the original creator and brand behind NeeDoh, has any association with the trend circulating on social media.