We all have them. In fact, most of us cannot bear to be parted from them. They need lots of love and attention, but now we discover they can set us on fire if we do not treat them carefully.
We are talking about mobile phones, or, more accurately, the process of charging their batteries up, after a young lad from Moray had a narrow escape.
A mobile phone left charging on a bed set a pillow ablaze in the early hours and he was rescued by his older brother. The boy suffered burns to his arm and had to go to hospital.
It could have turned out a lot worse.
The fire brigade issued a warning about charging mobiles and advising users not to leave their chargers on overnight or unattended, due to the dangers of them overheating and setting other material on fire.
It is a lesson for us not just about chargers, but also for other electrical appliances.
They all make our lives so easy and trouble-free these days, but don’t take them for granted – as this Elgin incident showed, they must be treated with care or the consequences could be tragic.
The fact is that no one can see any danger in a mobile phone, but potential perils must be spelled out – especially as so many youngsters have them now.
But even many adults were probably unaware that chargers could be potentially dangerous in certain circumstances.