Risks of flammability, poisoning, choking: As the holiday shopping season approaches, the findings of a European study on toys sold online by major internet platforms such as Temu, Shein and Amazon are alarming: 96% of toys purchased from non-European “third-party sellers” on online marketplaces did not comply with European regulations. Worse yet, more than 86% were found to be dangerous for children.
This was the result of a study led by the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) in partnership with the French Federation of Toy and Childcare Industries (FJP), and revealed on Wednesday, November 19, in Brussels. The leaders of the study purchased 70 toys, either unbranded or from unknown brands, from non-European “third-party sellers” on seven online marketplaces (AliExpress, Amazon Marketplace, CDiscount, Fruugo, Joom, Shein and Temu). These online sales sites, also known as marketplaces, connect merchants – referred to as “third-party sellers” – with consumers, taking a commission for the service. The purchased toys were then tested by an independent accredited laboratory. The lab found, for many of the toys, “the release of small parts which might cause young children to choke”; “small, strong magnets and easy access to batteries, both of which can cause serious internal injuries”; as well as the “release of suction cups, posing a choking hazard [as] suction cups can get stuck in children’s throats.”
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