The consumer champion warned that some products on the popular sites could choke, cut or strangle a child.
Researchers bought 23 toys from AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Fruugo, Temu, TikTok and Wish and found serious safety problems with more than half (52%) of them. The 12 dangerous products posed serious safety risks to children, including choking, sharp points and strangulation.
Many of the toys also had missing or incorrect markings, which are required by law. Alongside those with safety risks, this meant that 21 (91%) of the 23 unbranded toys should not be legally sold in the UK.
Which? said that the research demonstrates how consumers are inadequately protected when buying products from online marketplaces. It is calling on the Government to put greater legal responsibility on online marketplaces to prevent unsafe items from being sold on their platforms.
‘Choking risk’
A significant issue uncovered by testers was with small parts that posed a choking risk for children. This was seen in a magnetic fishing set, bought from an eBay seller, as the magnets detached during testing.
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The tiny magnets were a choking hazard and could seriously hurt any child who swallowed them.
Two baby toys, a sensory fidget toy and musical car keys, from TikTok Shop also broke into pieces during Which?’s testing.
The keys and dial on a wooden busy board broke into small pieces during Which?’s tension test and, similarly, small bits broke away from a toy phone. Both were sold on AliExpress.
A statement from AliExpress said: “We take product safety very seriously and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment. Third-party sellers who list items for sale on our marketplace must comply with the applicable law as well as our platform rules and policies.”
Meanwhile 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 and sharp points
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. This toy also had bells with sharp edges that could cut a baby’s skin.
A statement from Fruugo said it took the issues identified “extremely seriously” and had a “full product recall and withdrawal process including an effective notice and take-down process that ensures non-compliant products such as these are quickly removed from sale”.
Two crib toys from eBay failed to comply with the cord regulations for toys strung across cradles, with neither coming with the legally required safety warnings.
Sharp points that could puncture a small child’s skin were another problem. A ‘busy cube’ bought from AliExpress had keys, a fidget spinner, a castor and a tap attached to a wooden cube. However, Which? researchers said it was “a million miles away from a toy fit for the advertised 0-3 age range”.
Which? found the key attached to the product came to a sharp point that could puncture a child’s skin. Overall, the product was poorly finished, with exposed edges of brackets and screws.
Items removed from sale
Which? shared its findings with all of the online marketplaces where it found problems. All of the 21 listings for products that failed its tests and assessments have been removed from sale.
Which? is urging the Government to put strict new legal responsibilities on online marketplaces to prevent the sale of unsafe products front and centre of its Product Regulation and Metrology Bill so that consumers are far better protected from dangerous and illegal products.
Rocio Concha, Which?’s director of policy and advocacy, said: “It was frighteningly easy for Which? to find dangerous toys for sale on some of the world’s most popular online marketplaces – and this is particularly worrying when we know many people are shopping for affordable gifts ahead of Christmas.
“We would recommend that shoppers be careful about buying unbranded toys on online marketplaces, as it is hard to have confidence that they will meet UK safety standards set in law to protect consumers.
“The UK Government must act fast and use its Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to put much greater legal responsibility on online marketplaces for keeping unsafe items off their platforms. This must include allowing tough enforcement action, such as heavy fines, if they breach the rules.”
