Investigation uncovers online marketplaces carrying toys harmful to children's health: 'People don't realize'

An investigation found that a majority of unbranded toys sold within the European Union by online retailers are dangerous for children, the Financial Times reported.

What's happening?

Toy Industries of Europe purchased more than 100 unbranded toys across 10 online platforms in order to test them on a number of safety criteria, the FT explained.

These are toys made outside of the continent and sold by platforms like Temu, AliExpress, Amazon, Shein, Bol, Fruugo, and Allegro. After testing toys across several categories, TIE found that 80% failed to meet EU safety standards.

This list included pots of Slime containing more than 13 times the legal limit of boron as well as cheaply made items that broke apart easily and posed a choking risk.

Why is this concerning?

Unfortunately, EU customs officials can only check a minuscule portion of the packages arriving each day from outside the region, the FT reported.

They quoted Catherine Van Reeth, TIE's director-general, who said: "People don't realize [when] they are effectively importing the toy, there is no one in the EU liable."

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Furthermore, the platforms themselves aren't responsible for the products or safety of their third-party sellers. And without monitoring from a platform or a government, it's essentially a shot in the dark as to whether or not makers adhere to safety standards — even when they advertise as doing so.

TIE is advocating for the European Commission to close this platform loophole in order to enforce these standards. Van Reeth emphasized: "As long as online marketplaces are not given any legal responsibility, unsafe toys will keep flooding in from sellers who ignore EU rules. It's time to close this loophole and make sure someone is always responsible for protecting children."

What's being done to make toys safer?

While some new rules have been introduced in the EU, Van Reeth said they were not going to be adequate, as they still didn't impose platform liability. However, they do introduce fines for failing to "monitor, report, or remove illegal or unsafe products."

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Additionally, many platforms claim to be increasing internal efforts to crack down on enforcement, although these initiatives have been met with skepticism as many platforms are simply too vast to monitor effectively. Several reported removing products and sellers that were found to be in violation of safety standards. But this meant delisting 415,000 children's products in just one year at Allegro alone, a reminder of the problem's scope.

Instead of rolling the dice on these barely regulated items, parents are better off sourcing toys from trusted sellers. And if cost is a concern, thrift shops, local Buy Nothing groups, and even toy rental services are great ways to find something free or cheap.