October 14th 2024.
According to an investigation by Choice, a well-known consumer advocacy group, a range of children's toys from budget online retailer Temu have failed major product safety tests. This came as a surprise, as Temu is a US-founded shopping platform that ships from China. Among the 15 products tested by Choice in May 2024 were a child's tutu, an animal watch, and a musical keyboard.
Unfortunately, all of these products did not meet the button battery safety standards, which is a mandatory requirement in Australia. As stated by Choice, every product on the list failed at least one of the safety and information standards for button and coin batteries. This is a major concern, as swallowing or inserting a button battery can be life-threatening, especially for children. In fact, according to the Poisons Information Hotline, there is at least one child in Australia every day who needs to go to the hospital due to button battery ingestion.
One of the worst offenders on the product list, according to Choice, was a $12.79 tutu skirt. This product had a lithium battery compartment that was deemed not child-proof and very easy to open with just a fingernail. Other problematic items included an electronic pet game, a cartoon projector, a finger-spinning top, and a space figurine. The finger-spinning top was easily separated, exposing the batteries inside, and the electronic pet game and cartoon projector had screws that could be lost, making the battery compartment not childproof. The space figurine also had poorly secured button batteries in its interior.
Ashley de Silva, the chief executive of Choice, expressed concern over the potential risks these products pose to children. He stated that it is worrying to see these products being sold online without proper safety measures in place. However, after being alerted by Choice, Temu has removed all of the offending products from their website. Unfortunately, at the time of the alert, 12 of these items were still available for sale.
Choice has urged Temu to follow in the footsteps of other online shopping platforms like eBay and Amazon by signing up for the voluntary Product Safety pledge. This pledge aims to protect Australian customers from potential safety risks when shopping online. Furthermore, Choice is also calling on the government to introduce a general safety provision that would make it illegal for businesses to sell unsafe products. This, according to de Silva, would prevent situations like this from happening in the first place.
9news.com.au has reached out to Temu for comment on this matter. In the meantime, Choice is reminding people to stay informed and cautious when shopping online for children's toys. They also encourage everyone to follow their WhatsApp channel for the latest updates on breaking news, celebrity stories, and sports news. And the best part? No comments, no algorithm, and your private details remain safe.
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