According to a survey by the Directorate General for Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), 15% of toys marketed in France contain anomalies that make them potentially dangerous for children.
15% of dangerous toys for children
The safety of children’s toys is analyzed each year by the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). In 2020, 1,770 checks were carried out on 14,000 children’s toy references, whether in toy stores or online sales. Among these products, 520 games were analyzed in more detail. The grievances are multiple: labeling concerns, lack of notices and instructions in French, risk of damaged retina due to an overly powerful LED, costumes with flammable materials, padding that could lead to suffocation in the child, defective plush seams, or quite simply, an unstable scooter. According to a recent survey by the organization, 15% of toys sold in France are “non-compliant” and therefore dangerous for children. A total of 100,000 products were withdrawn from the market and destroyed.
117,000 toys destroyed before Christmas
Last December, just before the Christmas holidays, 117,000 products were destroyed. The greatest quantity of dangerous objects was “finger paintings” (32,962 were pinned). Mixing pastes, called “slimes” also present dangers, to the point of seeing 20,270 copies removed from the shelves. For the rest, 14,363 stuffed animals were destroyed, 9,700 disguises which risked catching fire, and 3,217 make-up palettes. As for the dolls, it is also the carnage: 1,400 of them were thrown away.
The DGCCRF also makes a worrying observation about the toys intended for children under three years of age. These generally contain too many small parts that could be detached and swallowed, thus risking causing choking. The result of this investigation did not point to a particular type of manufacturer. The big distributors have been chastised for their lack of control on the side of their suppliers. And artisanal manufacturers called to order on the list of rules to be respected for a toy to comply with safety standards.