Strengthen supervision and guide the healthy development of the elderly toy market
The elderly toy market is quietly rising, but the product quality is uneven, experts call for
□ Trainee reporter Zhang Shoukun
□ reporter Wang Yang
When it comes to toys, people generally think that they are exclusive to children.
On October 25, 2020, on the day of the Double Ninth Festival, a toy store for the elderly called "Play for the Elderly" opened in Tongzhou District, Beijing, attracting many elderly people from the surrounding area to patronize, and many domestic and foreign media have carried out Report.
Toys for the elderly, as an important means of entertainment for the elderly, should have become a new outlet in the market.
However, according to a reporter from the Rule of Law Daily, there have been several elderly toy stores across the country in recent years, but they have basically "killed themselves", and there are few manufacturers specializing in toys for the elderly.
At the same time, there is still a blank for the relevant standard identification and market supervision of toys for the elderly.
Experts interviewed by a reporter from the "Rule of Law" said that toys for the elderly are not only beneficial to the physical and mental health of the elderly, but also to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the elderly, but the public and even the elderly themselves know little about this and even have misunderstandings.
The old-age toy market is a market with great potential. It is necessary to promote and supervise this, increase social attention to the needs of the elderly, and support the healthy development of the old-age toy market from a policy perspective.
The elderly toy market is vast
Meet the spiritual and cultural needs
Recently, a reporter from the "Rule of Law Daily" came to the "Old You Have Fun" elderly toy store. The first thing that caught your eye was the cupboard full of various toys-there are more than 400 toys.
But unlike the imagined Mentingruo City, there is only one owner, Song Delong, which makes the nearly 200-square-meter store look a little deserted.
"It's cold, I'm having lunch at this time, and there will be more people in the afternoon or evening. There were people from morning to night when I first opened. Now the heat has passed, but I am still very busy when I am busy. The elderly came to me. I need to teach him a little bit how to play." Song Delong said that he is 42 years old this year. He once advertised for a CCTV program for the elderly, and he has contact with more elderly people.
"Old kids, old kids, old people are actually the same as kids. Many of them like toys, not just square dancing, chess and mahjong, TV phones."
Song Delong said that although the elderly have a need to play with toys, few people will take the initiative to play, and even some elderly people have directly told him that the store is not positioned correctly and the elderly should not play with toys.
"It should be understood that the elderly, their fixed thinking is closely related to the age and environment at the time."
For this reason, the toys in the store are open to the elderly for free. Song Delong also stays in the store to teach the elderly how to play most of the day. Many elderly people find childlike interest in this toy store.
During the interview, Tan Rihui, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the reporter of the Rule of Law Daily that in addition to the elderly themselves, there is also a lack of scientific understanding of the concept of toys for the elderly at the public cognitive level.
On the one hand, most people think that toys are exclusive products for children; on the other hand, they think that all aspects of the physical functions of the elderly are gradually declining, and the extension of the elderly is limited to the self-entertainment activities of square dancing. How can the elderly “play” Insufficient attention has been paid to "Youyou
According to the "China Development Report 2020: Development Trends and Policies of China's Population Aging" issued by the China Development Foundation, there will be approximately 180 million people aged 65 and over in China in 2020, accounting for approximately 13% of the total population.
The spiritual and cultural needs of the elderly are attracting more and more attention.
Li Jing, a lecturer at the Law School of the China Institute of Labor Relations and a doctor of law, believes that not only our country but the world is facing the demand problem brought about by the aging population.
"When people get old, they may face problems such as emotional emptiness, mental and physical decline, coupled with changes in work and life after retirement, at this time some new needs may arise. Some educational toys for the elderly can help Maintain physical fitness, slow down memory decline, etc. In the process of buying toys and playing with toys, the elderly may make new friends. This is also a social method."
Tan Rihui said that with the rapid development of the Internet, various smart products emerge in an endless stream. The elderly, especially those with higher incomes, are no longer limited to traditional cultural and entertainment activities. The elderly’s needs for "what to play" and "how to play" There is also a new trend of development, which has created a demand for toys for the elderly.
Article 4 of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly mentions that “the state and society should take measures... to achieve the realization of the elderly’s security, medical care, deeds, learning, and happiness”.
In this regard, Li Jing believes that "the old people have fun" is not only the happiness of the family, "the elderly toys can also provide a social platform for the elderly to gain a sense of existence, so that they feel that they are not out of touch with society. In order to find the joy of life".
Lack of specialized manufacturers
The regulatory system is relatively lagging
In the old-age toy store, Song Delong divides the shelves on both sides into "puzzle leisure area" and "fitness sports area". The former includes memory chess and nine-links, while the latter includes potball, indoor golf, and billiards. Tables, etc., which also include some electronic and modern toys.
Toys in the store are generally not expensive, and you can buy your favorite products for more than ten yuan.
During the interview, Song Delong showed several toys to reporters from the Rule of Law Daily: Although a toy similar to the nine-link unlocking buckle has a simple principle, it is difficult to unlock without a prompt; there is also a toy similar to a Luban lock, from the Rule of Law Daily. The reporter has explored for a long time, and every time it can be finished with the last piece of wood, Song Delong only needs to make a small plan to restore it.
According to Song Delong, there is currently no domestic manufacturer that specializes in producing toys for the elderly. In fact, these toys are collected from various channels. Some are purchased from dozens of toy markets, and some are custom-made. A lot of trouble.
On multiple e-commerce platforms, reporters from the Rule of Law Daily searched for “elderly toys” and found that they were mostly traditional toys such as Kongming locks, Luban lock sets, spinning tops, etc., and there were few types. Smart game classification.
Compared with the deserted toy market for the elderly, the market for children's toys and health care products for the elderly is extremely hot in China.
According to the "2020 China Toys and Baby Products Industry Development Report" released by the China Toys and Baby Products Association, the retail scale of China's toy market in 2019 was 75.97 billion yuan, and the per capita toy consumption for children aged 0-14 was 323.4 yuan; iiMedia Data Center According to the published data on the average monthly expenditure of health products for the elderly in China in 2020H1, 20.99% of the elderly in China spend 500-1000 yuan on health products, and less than 30% of the elderly who do not buy health products at all.
Zhu Wei, a professor at the Law School of Sichuan University, told the reporter of the Rule of Law Daily that, in fact, the old-age toy market is not new in some foreign countries, and the market is quite mature. In some markets, old-age toys have accounted for more than 40% of the toy market.
For example, European and American countries have established large-scale toy stores for the elderly, as well as companies specializing in the development of toys for the elderly; Japan attaches great importance to brain education training for the elderly, and various books, toys and other educational products are popular in the market.
Zhu Wei said that as early as more than ten years ago, there were related articles about toys for the elderly, but the market has not been facing this demand. The biggest reason is that it is difficult to make profits.
During the interview, a reporter from the "Rule of Law Daily" learned that, in addition to fewer manufacturers, there are still two major problems in the production of toys for the elderly: the production standards are not standardized and the supervision system is not sound.
Du Leqi, director of the Economic Law Research Society of Jiangsu Law Society and associate professor of the Law School of Jiangsu University, pointed out that compared with the completeness of the national mandatory standards for children’s toys, there is no national mandatory standard specifically applicable to toys for the elderly. Standard lag.
On the other hand, there is still a problem of lagging supervision. The main manifestation is that the regulatory agencies often fail to supervise the elderly toy market in advance, and often intervene after the elderly toys infringe the personal health rights of elderly consumers.
Tan Rihui believes that due to the absence of relevant norms and standards, the safety rights and interests of the elderly cannot be effectively protected; at the same time, in the case of inadequate supervision, the elderly toy market is uneven and cannot meet the needs of the elderly.
Strengthen market supervision
Actively introduce support policies
Tan Rihui believes that healthy, interesting, and easy-to-operate toys for the elderly can enrich the life of the elderly and promote their health; otherwise, they will bring security risks and communication disturbances to the lives of the elderly.
The design of toys for the elderly should focus on the goal of “playing and having fun for the elderly”, following the design principles of safety, ease of use, and simplicity, and designing fitness that meets the needs of the elderly in accordance with the physical and psychological characteristics and communication needs of the elderly. Toys, educational toys, etc.
Zhu Wei said that in order to better develop the elderly toy market, investigations by relevant departments are necessary.
For example, how many elderly people have toy needs, and what kind of toys do they need.
Only in this way can the universal application of toys for the elderly be promoted, and toys for the elderly can be better promoted.
At the same time, the media must do a good job of propaganda to guide the public to correctly view toys for the elderly.
Du Leqi believes that in the context of the quiet rise of the elderly toy market, the relevant regulatory agencies and the National Standardization Committee should make a scientific and reasonable formulation of the elderly toy country based on full research and judgment on elderly toy operators, elderly consumers and the elderly toy market. Standards: Prior to the promulgation of national standards, relevant market regulatory agencies should actively intervene in the elderly toy market in advance and adopt a variety of methods to screen and eliminate potential situations that damage the health of the elderly in the process of designing, manufacturing and selling elderly toys.
Tan Rihui suggested that the government can give preferential treatment to elderly toy companies in terms of taxes, rents, financing, etc., introduce relevant regulatory measures as soon as possible, improve relevant support policies, and guide the sound development of elderly toy companies, thereby forming a toy industry chain for the elderly, improving product quality, and satisfying The growing spiritual needs of the elderly.
At the same time, relevant laws and regulations were promulgated to further protect the rights and interests of elderly consumers in the use of elderly toy products.
Li Jing believes that government support can also be reflected in government purchases of services.
For example, many communities now have free fitness areas, and the utilization rate of the elderly is relatively high.
If the government buys some old-age toys and puts them in community centers, squares and other places, so that more people can experience them, it will help promote old-age toys and change people's misperceptions.
Promoting the development and improvement of the toy industry for the elderly can enable the elderly to fully enjoy the fruits of development, meet their cultural, entertainment and spiritual needs, and enjoy their old age with ease and dignity.