Alarming new research from consumer advocacy group Choice has uncovered widespread safety failures in children's toys sold by major online retailers, with seventeen out of twenty-four tested products failing to meet Australia's mandatory button battery standards.
Which Toys Failed the Safety Tests?
The comprehensive safety investigation examined products purchased from Shein, AliExpress, eBay and Amazon, revealing serious compliance issues with products including bath toys, fidget spinners, light-up mouthguards and various children's accessories.
Among the failed products were an electronic writing pad, toy watch, video game and plastic piece from AliExpress. Shein's problematic items included slatted glasses, lighted jelly rings, a satin scrunchie and keyboard button chain. Amazon sold three non-compliant items including bath toys and bendy tubes, while eBay offered a fidget spinner, gloves, toy torch and glowing mouthguard that breached regulations.
All four retailers have since removed the identified products from sale following Choice's findings and reporting to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The Deadly Danger of Button Batteries
Button batteries represent one of the most serious hidden dangers in Australian households. Since 2013, three Australian children have died after ingesting button batteries: four-year-old Summer Steer, 14-month-old Isabella Reese and three-year-old Brittney Conway.
The ACCC estimates that approximately one child per month suffers serious injuries from swallowing or inserting button batteries. When ingested, these small power sources can cause catastrophic chemical burns that damage vital organs within hours.
"Button batteries can cause catastrophic injuries within hours if swallowed, so it is highly concerning to see products like this continue to be sold," stated Choice's director of campaigns, Rosie Thomas.
Understanding Australia's Safety Standards
In response to growing concerns, the Australian government introduced mandatory safety and information standards for button batteries and products containing them in December 2020, with requirements becoming compulsory from June 2022.
The standards require that:
- Battery compartments must be secured and require a tool to open
- Products must include clear warning statements about battery dangers
- Emergency advice must be provided on packaging
- Manufacturers must conduct their own safety testing
Choice discovered multiple products where batteries could be accessed without tools, with some compartments potentially opening simply from being dropped.
How Parents Can Ensure Toy Safety
Thomas advises consumers to avoid purchasing children's toys from cheap online marketplaces, particularly for baby products and playthings. For existing toys containing button batteries, she recommends:
- Checking that battery compartments are secured with screws
- Performing a simple drop test to ensure compartments remain closed
- Avoiding button battery products altogether when possible
- Choosing toys that use traditional AA or AAA batteries instead
Parents should also be aware that toys manufactured before the 2022 standards came into effect may not comply with current safety requirements.
The consumer group is calling for stronger product safety laws to make it illegal for companies to sell unsafe products, arguing that the responsibility should lie with businesses rather than consumers to identify dangerous items.
Families are encouraged to regularly check the ACCC's product safety website for recall information, with forty-nine toys recalled in the past year alone, twenty of which involved unsafe button battery components.
