A five-year-old boy was hospitalized for three days after twisting his neck while playing in a rotating roller tunnel at Jolly Jungle indoor playground in Our Tampines Hub on March 22, 2025.
The boy’s mother, identified as Anna on social media, reported that her son injured his neck “after playing for just a few seconds” in the automatic rotating roller tunnel. She was sitting nearby when the incident occurred.
Anna described her son’s neck as visibly tilted with a “protruding bone-like structure” following the injury. The child required X-ray examinations during his hospital stay.
According to Anna’s social media post, playground staff told her that she should have supervised her child more closely. Staff also stated they had no responsibility for the incident as the equipment was functioning normally.
A Jolly Jungle spokesperson told reporters on April 3 that CCTV footage showed the boy playing in the roller tunnel while his mother sat approximately 5 meters away. The footage showed the child walking to his mother to complain about head discomfort, but no visible issues were apparent at that time.
“Later he climbed onto the partition next to the ball pit, and when he came down, his neck was noticeably twisted,” the spokesperson said.
The playground only learned about the incident on March 24 when the mother sent a message. The spokesperson immediately visited the boy in hospital with gifts.
Anna’s email to the playground requested facility improvements and compensation. The spokesperson stated they could not provide compensation as they found no equipment malfunction.
Following the incident, Jolly Jungle conducted an internal investigation and posted new notices on the roller and trampoline to clarify usage rules. The notices remind parents to supervise their children.
Anna claimed there were no height or age requirement signs posted at the time of the incident. The spokesperson confirmed the roller is intended for children aged three to 12, with no height restrictions.
The playground has three staff members supervising on weekends. The spokesperson said they have responded to the mother about the matter but received no reply before she posted on social media.
“We still welcome continued communication with her about this matter,” the spokesperson added.
