According to a damning study, more than 9 out of 10 toys sold on Temu do not comply with European safety rules. Poisoning, choking, cutting… The products present risks to the health of children.
With an ultra-aggressive marketing policy and unbeatable prices, Temu (pronounced “ti-mou”) has managed to conquer the Western market without much difficulty. But despite its dazzling success, the e-commerce platform raises serious concerns, and not only at the competitive level. Indeed, customers are increasing the number of bad returns, complaining of errors in orders – some are simply never delivered! –, extremely long delivery times, hidden costs and completely poor after-sales service. Not to mention that Pinduoduo, the Chinese version of the e-commerce platform, has long been accused of hosting sales of counterfeits, illegal goods or products that do not match their description. And, unfortunately, this quality problem also applies to toys, which are also sold at low prices.
At the end of 2023, European toy manufacturers sounded the alarm. Also, the European Federation of Toy Industries, Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), has looked into the issue and has just published a study that is alarming to say the least. According to the results, 95% of toys purchased on Temu do not meet European safety standards. Worse, they are considered dangerous for children!
Temu Toys: a legal gap to be filled urgently
In its study, the TIE reveals that, of the 19 toys purchased and tested, none met European Union safety standards. Worse: 18 of them presented serious risks. Indeed, according to the results, the toys concerned “can cause cuts, airway blockages, choking, strangulation, punctures and chemical hazards”. This is for example the case of a “rainbow ribbon rattle” intended for babies, with “sharp edges on the metal bells (…), small parts likely to cause choking, rigid protrusions which may cause blockages of the respiratory tract”. Charming.
Contacted by the TIE, Temu assured that he had “took steps to make these toys unavailable on their platform” and to have “strengthened control of this category of products and the requirements associated with it”as reported Le Figaro. “Although their responsiveness is encouraging, corrective actions are not enough”, however, believes the federation. But if the study focuses only on Temu, remember that the TIE carried out a similar one in 2020 on toys sold on the Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and Wish platforms. And here too, the results were hardly glorious, since 97% of the toys purchased did not comply with European legislation, while 76% were considered dangerous for children.
Also, the TIE and the French Federation of Toy and Childcare Industries (FJP) call on the European Union to take strict measures against sellers established outside the EU who do not respect the latter’s rules. And this is good, because the draft European regulation on toy safety is currently being revised. So there is still time to fill “the legal void that remains, despite the Digital Services Act and other rules, for sellers based outside the EU”. We don’t joke about child safety!