Nearly 9 in 10 toys bought through major online retailers are putting children’s health at risk, a shocking study has found.
Tests on the toys purchased from 11 well-known third-party sellers, including budget website Temu and Amazon, found they did not meet safety regulations, posing choking and hearing hazards.
Nearly one in ten products sold online were also considered illegal, the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) found.
The group, which represents British toy manufacturers, branded the findings ‘unacceptable’ and ‘shocking’ and called on the government to take urgent action.
It also warned that the findings could be the tip of the iceberg, with many other potentially dangerous toys possibly being sold on these marketplaces.
Tests on the toys purchased from eleven well-known third-party sellers, including Temu and Amazon, found that they did not meet safety regulations, posing choking and hearing hazards
Unlike traditional retail models, online marketplaces are not legally responsible for the safety of products sold by their third-party sellers, although there are some proposals to change this currently being considered by Parliament.
However, the current loophole means it is currently too easy to sell illegal and unsafe toys in Britain, critics say.
BTHA’s research assessed toys sold through AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and Wish, as well as seven other popular online marketplaces: Etsy, Groupon, Joom, OnBuy, Shein, Temu and TikTok.
Tests on the 75 products found that 86 percent failed to meet UK legal safety requirements for children’s toys.
Among them was a “snail xylophone” sold through a third-party Amazon seller, they said.
This posed a choking and strangulation risk, the team found.
Meanwhile, a ‘rabbit mobile phone car’ from Temu could risk hearing damage because the sounds it emitted exceeded the legal limit for a toy, they claimed.
It also contained small parts that could be swallowed by young children, especially since the item was advertised for children under the age of three.
Nine toys also failed to meet legal requirements for cord length, a limit imposed in Britain to reduce the risk of children becoming entangled and strangulated.
According to to the probeEvery product tested from Etsy, Joom, OnBuy, and Shein was deemed unsafe.
One in five toys from Temu and TikTok were also categorized as illegal, BTHA said.
This is because they did not meet toy requirements, such as missing conformity markings, making the product ‘unsafe’.
In total, only 7 percent of all products were considered compliant.
Kerri Atherton, BTHA’s head of public affairs, said: ‘Despite years of evidence and time for online marketplaces to make improvements, our latest findings unfortunately show that dangerous toys are still being sold in large numbers through the online marketplace channel.
“Consumers rightly expect that toys made available through these well-known marketplaces are safe for their children to play with.
“Yet we consistently find that the majority of third-party toys pose a risk to children’s safety.”
Unlike traditional retail models, online marketplaces are not legally responsible for the safety of products sold by their third-party sellers, although there are some proposals to change this currently being considered by Parliament. Stock image
She added: ‘While the Government’s new bill sets out good intentions to bring online marketplaces clearly into the legal framework, we need to see strong legal obligations on online marketplaces to provide maximum protection for children and ensure we stop these practices once can stop. and for everyone.’
The BTHA said it had passed the findings on to the Office for Product Safety and Standards, which notified the platforms about the toys found.
A spokesperson for Temu also said: ‘Consumer safety is our top priority and we have a rigorous process to prevent unsafe products.
“We are investigating this issue and will act quickly to remove the product as a precaution.”
Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson said: ‘Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we want customers to shop in our stores with confidence.
‘We require that all products offered in our store comply with applicable laws and regulations.
‘If customers have any concerns about an item they have purchased, we encourage them to contact our customer service team so we can resolve the issue for them.
‘We have taken proactive measures to prevent unsafe or non-compliant products from entering the listing and we are taking action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products and contacting sellers, manufacturers and government agencies for additional information. information, if necessary.
‘During our investigation, the products in question were removed.’
The online retailers involved in the BTHA audit were contacted for comment.