alert! These little toys hide big hidden dangers
The lawyer said that parents should perform their guardian duties well, and toy operators should continuously improve product quality and safety
Reporter Shi Lanna
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In recent years, safety accidents caused by children's toys have occurred frequently, seriously damaging the safety and health of children.
Parts falling off, illegal addition of prohibited substances, excessive element content and other issues have caused many hidden safety hazards in children's toys.
"Look at these beads one by one, just like wearing an earring." Recently, Zhang Chao, director of the gastroenterology department of a hospital in Xi'an, said while looking at a ring of foreign bodies in the stomach of a 4-year-old boy.
Through the operation, the beads in the boy's stomach were successfully removed, and these beads are a common toy-magnetic beads.
Magnetic beads, also called magnetic balls and buck balls, can be spliced into a variety of different shapes by virtue of magnetic force, with diameters of 3mm, 5mm, 8mm and other specifications.
It is this kind of low-priced, compact and brightly colored toys that bring safety hazards to children's health. It is not uncommon for children to be rushed to the hospital for treatment by accidentally swallowing magnetic beads.
In this regard, experts suggest that when the summer vacation is approaching, parents should look for the CCC certification mark when buying toys for children. They should not buy low-quality children's toys for cheap, and choose suitable toys according to the children's age group.
At the same time, carefully read the product manual, ingredient list, etc., and try to prevent problems before they happen.
At the same time, pay attention to keep the purchase invoices to facilitate rights protection in case of problems.
Last year, the number of complaints about children's toys nearly tripled
In recent years, the domestic toy market has been very hot.
According to the company's data, there are currently 4.467 million toy-related companies in my country, of which 1,297,700 were registered in 2020, and 563,400 were newly registered companies in the first five months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 32%.
According to data from the China Toys and Baby Products Association, the domestic toy market in my country has increased from 55.6 billion yuan in 2016 to 77.97 billion yuan in 2020.
However, behind the huge toy consumer market, cases of producing and selling inferior children's toys occur frequently, and some even endanger the health and safety of children.
In addition to magnetic beads, some other toys also pose a threat to children's health and safety.
The "fake water" with a smooth feel and fragrant smell exceeds the standard, and excessive intake of boron can cause poisoning; the "water sprite", which becomes larger and brighter in water, will be dangerous if swallowed, and the fragments will be accidentally scratched. It hurts the eyes; the fingertip spinner can break eggs when it rotates at a high speed; the instantaneous voltage of the electric toy is far more than the rated voltage of the toy's power supply; the laser pointer directly into the eyes may cause vision damage or even blindness...
According to the "Analysis of Complaints Accepted by the National Consumers Association in 2020" issued by the China Consumers Association, in 2020, the National Consumers Association accepted a total of 4,847 complaints about children's toys, nearly twice the number of complaints in 2019.
It is reported that children’s toy complaints related to safety issues mainly include: mechanical and physical injuries, such as small toy parts falling off, toys with dangerous sharp edges; chemical injuries, such as illegal addition of prohibited substances, and the content of certain elements exceeds national standards; the applicable age of toys Inconsistent with actual use and injuries caused by misplaying non-toy products.
Consumer rights protection costs are relatively high
In May 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced the second batch of typical cases of "Iron Fist" operations this year.
Among them, after a random inspection by the Beijing Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, the plasticizer in a BB bath toy does not meet the national standard. After long-term exposure to children, the plasticizer may enter the body through the skin, esophagus and respiratory tract, causing health damage; Fujian The Market Supervision Bureau of Dongshan County, Zhangzhou City, Zhejiang Province found that a bell ball toy was not marked with the applicable age range and descriptive age mark, which did not meet the national mandatory standards and was dangerous.
Previously, the Guangdong Provincial Market Supervision Bureau conducted a random inspection on the quality of 1,035 children's toy products from 651 companies and found that 214 products produced by 184 companies were unqualified.
In addition to product quality issues, misleading and false publicity by businesses may also cause damage to the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
In the case of Wang Shuaishuai and Huangpu Company’s product seller liability dispute heard by the People’s Court of Binhu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, Huangpu Company’s propaganda age and load-bearing capacity for children’s four-wheel electric vehicles did not match the instructions, which caused Wang After the purchase, Shuaishuai could not be used normally. The court found that the sales act constituted a fraud and must return the goods and pay three times the product price.
Wang Weikun, a lawyer from Beijing Dongwei Law Firm, said that there are many types of children's toys and complex processing materials.
Compared with general products, the time and money costs of protecting children's toys at low prices are relatively high, and some consumers have to give up their rights.
Brighten your eyes and choose suitable children's toys
"There are many counterfeit children's toy products on the market, and it is difficult for ordinary consumers to distinguish them." Wang Weikun suggested that you should keep your eyes open and choose carefully when buying children's toys. Buy children's toys from regular malls or reputable online stores and be resolute. Do not buy "three no" products without production date, no manufacturer, and no quality certificate. Read the product manual, ingredient list, etc. carefully, and pay attention to keeping the purchase voucher.
Regarding the phenomenon that there are still substandard products on the market that do not meet the relevant national toy safety standards, the China Consumers Association reminds that you cannot buy low-quality children's toys for cheap, and look for the CCC certification mark when buying children's toys.
"The magnetic ball is a small particle ball, not suitable for children under 14 years of age. The magnetic ball is a strong magnetic substance and is strictly forbidden to swallow it. If you accidentally swallow it, please consult a doctor immediately." On the product details page of an online store selling the magnetic ball, the merchant suggested .
However, there are many content in the product evaluation, such as "the child is only 5 years old and likes to play", "the child is a little too young to play, and loses a lot in a few days".
In order to reduce the potential safety hazards caused by the inconsistency between the applicable age of toys and actual use, the China Consumers Association pointed out that when purchasing toys, parents must pay attention to the age-appropriate age marked on the toy package and choose toys that match the age of their children.
At the same time, parents should also supervise and guide their children to use toys correctly. Younger children should be accompanied throughout the entire process.
"From the source, toy operators should continuously improve the quality and safety of their products, standardize production operations, fulfill their duty of care, and create a safer environment for the consumption of children's toys from the entire process of production and sales." Wang Weikun suggested.