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According to a survey by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, nearly 15% of toys marketed in France put children at risk.
Each year, the DGCCRF checks thousands of toys to ensure that they present no risk to the safety of children and to verify that the consumer is properly informed. Its latest report is cause for concern for parents: nearly 15% of games controlled and marketed in France would be deemed non-compliant.
15% of toys have been withdrawn from the market
In 2020, DGCCRF experts carried out 1,770 checks on 14,000 toy references, at 1,570 physical establishments or online sales.
Result: nearly 18% of games had at least one visual anomaly.
Worse still, out of 520 toys selected, 15% of them were declared “non-compliant” and withdrawn from the market.
In total, at the end of the investigation, nearly 100,000 products had to be removed from stores and destroyed. A rather frightening rate, but which is nevertheless within the average of the last two years.
According to the DGCCRF, the most observed non-compliances were:
- Faulty fluff seams;
- Too easy access to padding;
- Access to small, easily ingestible elements;
- Access to unsecured battery compartments;
- The frequent absence of regulatory markings such as the CE marking (which means that the manufacturer certifies that its product meets regulatory safety requirements);
- Warnings specific to water toys and certain activity toys;
- Safety warnings in user manuals and instruction manuals which are often not available in French (such as minimum age).
Toys: preventing risks for children
Toys are not without risk. Choking, strangulation, intestinal perforation, cut… Every year, fatal accidents occur.
According to a survey published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics, two-wheelers, especially scooters, account for 42% of emergency room admissions among 5-17 year olds. Recreational equipment, such as balls, is in second place.
Children under three are more likely to ingest small pieces of games/toys.
To avoid tragedies, it is recommended to watch your children during play periods, to pay particular attention to old toys (used batteries, etc.), to make it compulsory to wear a helmet on two wheels and to be vigilant about the category age for which the toy is intended.
In addition, explaining to the child how the toy works and drawing his attention to the possible risks and/or handling to avoid is a good idea.
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