Parents have been warned to be alert for dangerous and illegal toys while shopping online this Christmas.
A Which? investigation revealed that it was ‘frighteningly easy’ to find potentially fatal toys on online marketplaces like TikTok, Wish and AliExpress.
Out of 23 toys, starting from as little as £1.07, more than half were found to pose a serious safety risk to children.
Testing revealed hazards including sharp points which could cut a child’s skin and magnets strong enough to tear the gut lining if swallowed.
One particularly dangerous fidget toy was being promoted through a paid partnership on TikTok by a content creator with 13,000 followers.
Many reviews on the TikTok shop complained of poor quality and dangerous loose parts including one comment which read: ‘My baby choked’.
Additionally, all but two of the toys had missing or incorrect safety markings which are required by law.
This means that 91 per cent of the unbranded toys cannot be legally sold within the UK.
A Which? investigation has found that more than half of 23 unbranded toys purchased from online marketplaces had dangerous safety faults. This elephant crib toy was found to have loose batteries which could cause serious damage to a baby’s organs if swallowed
This baby’s sensory fidget toy easily broke into small pieces during Which?’s testing, these small parts would be a serious choking risk for an unsupervised child
Which? testers purchased the 23 unbranded children’s toys from the most popular online marketplaces: AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Fruugo, Temu, TikTok and Wish.
In total, 12 were found to pose ‘serious safety risks to children including sharp points, choking, strangulation and loose batteries.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, says: ‘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.’
One of the most common risks posed by these poorly constructed toys was choking due to loose and poorly finished parts.
For example, the magnets of a magnetic fishing set purchased from a seller on eBay detached during testing.
These tiny magnets were a choking hazard in themselves but were also too powerful to be used in toys for very small children.
According to Which?, if swallowed the magnets could attract each other inside a child’s digestive system, ripping through the gut lining and causing serious damage.
Likewise, Which? found two baby toys from the TikTok shop, a sensory fidget toy and a set of musical car keys, broke into small pieces during testing.
This magnetic fishing set purchased from a seller on eBay had loose magnets which were strong enough to tear through a child’s gut lining and cause serious injury
Both should have been more than strong enough to withstand the tests, raising concerns that a child may choke on the loose pieces.
The fidget toy was shared in a TikTok video with hundreds of thousands of videos and received an ominous comment suggesting that someone’s child had indeed choked on part of the toy.
Which? says that TikTok has now removed the content and claims that no purchases were made through the link.
A TikTok representative adds: ‘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.’
Additionally, a soft toy pig purchased through the site Fruugo had small plastic eyes which fell off during testing, creating a serious choking hazard.
One toy, an elephant crib toy from Wish, even featured batteries which were not properly secured inside the battery compartment.
Wish did not respond to Which?’s request for comment.
Not only do these pose a choking hazard but a decaying battery can also cause serious damage to a baby’s inner organs if it does not pass through quickly.
A fidget board purchased from the TikTok shop had small parts which broke off to create a choking hazard. One commenter wrote on the TikTok shop posting: ‘My baby choked’
This innocent-looking pig toy from Fruugo has plastic eyes which fell away during testing. Their small size means they pose a choking hazard for children
This toy phone from AliExpress broke apart during testing, creating small parts which posed a choking risk
Another serious issue was the presence of long cords which were found on many of the dangerous toys.
Under UK law, chords or ribbons on toys must be shorter than 11 inches (30cm) to prevent them from posing a risk of strangulation.
Two crib toys from eBay failed to comply with the cords regulations for toys strung across cradles while neither came with the legally required safety warnings.
An eBay spokesperson says: ‘We immediately removed the listings reported to us by Which?, and other listings offering these items, from our site. We take a proactive approach to keeping our site safe, using block filter algorithms aimed at preventing unsafe and prohibited listings.’
Tests identified a ring teether with bells from Fruugo as particularly dangerous since it had ribbons which were 50 per cent longer than the UK limit.
The teether, which is designed to be chewed on, also had bells with sharp edges which could cut a baby’s skin.
Fruugo told Which?: ‘Fruugo takes these issues extremely seriously and we understand the importance of ensuring retailers using our platform meet their legal and product safety obligations.
‘We can confirm that the three items you brought to our attention have all been withdrawn from the Fruugo platform.’
In the UK, tethers on children’s toys can only be 30cm long to prevent strangulation. The ribbons on this ring teether from Fruugo were 50 per cent longer than the safe limit
Another toy which could pose a cutting hazard was the ‘busy cube’ from AliExpress which was made up of keys, a fidget-spinner, a castor, and a tap attached to a wooden cube.
Which?’s test found that the key attached to the cube came to a sharp point which could puncture a child’s skin.
Additionally, the product was poorly finished overall, with exposed edges of brackets and screws presenting a further risk.
AliExpress says: ‘We thank Which? for bringing your test results to our attention and for the improvement of our control mechanisms. The listings of the products that failed the test have been removed from the site.’
Only two products, a set of animal fridge magnets from Amazon and a product from Temu, were both safe and could be legally sold in the UK.
The only other product from Temu was found to be safe but could not be legally sold since the electrical labelling did not comply with regulations.
A Temu spokesperson told Which?: ‘We prioritize 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.’
Due to these risks Which? is urging all shoppers to use caution when shopping for toys online this Christmas period.
This ‘busy block’ from AliExpress was found to be poorly constructed, creating a number of sharp points that could pierce a child’s skin
Ms Concha says: ‘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.’
Which? is also calling on the government to put strict legal obligations on online marketplaces to prevent the sale of dangerous and illegal products.
Previous investigations by the consumer advice group have found dangerous electronics being widely sold across various platforms.
These poorly labelled and cheaply made devices presented extremely high risks of electric shocks and starting fires.
Ms Cocha adds: ‘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.’
