Shoppers have been warned to take care when ordering children’s toys online after many were found to be illegal and dangerous. Which? investigated toys sold on marketplaces such as TikTok, Temu, AliExpress and Amazon and found serious problems with more than half of them. The consumer champion found 12 out of the 23 products, starting […]
Shoppers have been warned to take care when ordering children’s toys online after many were found to be illegal and dangerous.
Which? investigated toys sold on marketplaces such as TikTok, Temu, AliExpress and Amazon and found serious problems with more than half of them.
The consumer champion found 12 out of the 23 products, starting from as little as £1.07, purchased posed safety risks to children, including choking, sharp points and strangulation.
Many of the items also had missing or incorrect legally required markings, which, alongside those with safety risks, meant that 91% of the toys should not be legally sold in the UK.
Two baby toys, a sensory fidget toy and musical car keys, from TikTok Shop failed tests.
In a customer review of the fidget toy, one shopper said her baby “choked” while playing with it.
TikTok said the items had since been removed.
“The safety of our customers is of our utmost priority, and we have strict measures in place to ensure that our sellers comply with regulations and safety standards,” a spokesperson said.
The keys and dial on a wooden busy board broke into small pieces during a tension test and similarly small bits broke away from a toy phone. Both were sold on AliExpress.
The company said it took product safety “very seriously” and had strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.
“However, due to the high volume of parcels, it is challenging to inspect all items. Should a merchant be found non-compliant, AliExpress will take appropriate actions, which can include suspension or closure of the seller’s store for serious violation,” it added.
“The listings of the products that failed the test have been removed from the site.”
A toy pig bought from a seller on Fruugo had eyes that fell off in testing, creating a choking hazard for a small child if they were swallowed.
Long cords were also a problem. The tests identified a ring teether with bells and ribbons from Fruugo with ribbons that posed a strangulation risk as they were almost 50% longer than the 30cm UK legal limit.
“Fruugo is a marketplace – not a retailer in its own right. Nevertheless, Fruugo takes these issues extremely seriously and we understand the importance of ensuring retailers using our platform meet their legal and product safety obligations,” the company said.
The spokesperson also confirmed there was a product recall and withdrawal process in place and the items flagged to the company by Which? had been removed.
Two crib toys from eBay failed to comply with the cords regulations for toys strung across cradles, with neither coming with the legally required safety warnings.
“Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay. We immediately removed the listings reported to us by Which?, and other listings offering these items from our site,” a spokesperson said.
Two products bought on Temu posed a serious safety risk but one of them could not be legally sold in the UK because the electrical labelling did not comply with regulations.
“We prioritise consumer safety and require sellers to comply with applicable standards. The product in question had been removed from sale prior to your email. We are conducting a review and will enhance our monitoring of similar products,” Temu said.
One of the 23 items – a set of animal fridge magnets, and the only product Which? bought from Amazon – did not pose a serious safety risk to children and could be legally sold in the UK.
