European Parliament Backs Tougher Toy Safety Rules to Protect Children

In response to growing concerns about toy safety, the European Parliament has backed tougher rules to protect children from potential dangers posed by toys. The new rules, adopted with overwhelming support on 13 March 2024, introduce significant measures to reduce the risks associated with harmful chemicals and digital toys. With an alarming increase in toy-related hazards, including the presence of endocrine disruptors and other toxic substances, the legislation emphasises banning on the most harmful chemicals to ensure the well-being of young consumers.

Focus on health and compliance

The revised rules prioritise children's health and development by extending existing bans on substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic toxic for reproduction (CMRs) to chemicals that are particularly harmful to children, such as endocrine disrupters and chemicals that affect the respiratory system. The rules also target chemicals that are toxic to specific organs or are persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT), as well as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

In addition, strict safety standards are implemented for digital toys. Recognising the evolving landscape of toy manufacturing and distribution, the legislation emphasises the need for compliance with safety, security, and privacy standards by design. Furthermore, the requirement for a digital product passport aims to improve traceability and facilitate market surveillance, ultimately giving consumers access to vital safety information.

Toys must also comply with recently updated General Product Safety rules, for example,  online sales, accident reporting, consumer rights to information and remedy.

Some background

Before toys can be sold on the EU market, manufacturers must carry out comprehensive safety assessments covering a range of hazards such as chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical, flammability, hygiene, and radioactivity risks. Although the EU market is one of the safest markets in the world, dangerous toys still reach consumers. The EU Safety Gate, which acts as a rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products, reported that toys are the most frequently notified product category, accounting for 23% of all notifications in 2022 and 20% in 2021. These statistics underline the ongoing challenges in ensuring toy safety and highlight the urgent need for robust regulatory action to address the ongoing risks in the industry.

Next steps

The new rules will be followed up by the new Parliament after the European elections on 6-9 June 2024.