Are your child's toys safe?

A balloon would fly in the air, leaving its dirt on your younger one who is busy enjoying it as it goes. Who would imagine that even a toy can harm a child? chahak mittal explores how the Indian toy industry is working to spread awareness among parents and making toys more child-friendly and safer

Often parents are heard warning their children about external threats —“Play safe, or you’ll get hurt,” “Do not play in the mud, or you’ll get germs,” “Avoid strangers, they could harm you,” “It’s dark, mosquitoes will bite you,” “Stay indoors, play with your toys, it’s raining outside,” “Do not touch dirty things, you’ll get sick.” However, seldom do they stop to think about the toxicity that toys they pick up with love and affection could pose.

A survey released by US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed that in 2016, there were an estimated 2.4 million toy-related injuries treated in US hospital emergency departments, 39 per cent of which were classified as lacerations, contusions, or abrasions, whereas, 45 per cent of them were on the head and face area, the most commonly affected area of the body. According to the survey, for children younger than five years, riding toys, with 17,100 estimated injuries (20 per cent), were associated with more injuries than any other specified category of toys in 2016. There is undoubtedly a need for a market for safe toys. However, parents also need to be aware of what their younger ones are playing with.

Vivek Jhangiani, director of the All India Toy Manufacturers’ Association, TAITMA, chairman of Toy Committee, FICCI, and director of the International Council Of Toy Industries (ICTI), says, “We work to spread awareness among parents, especially about all the products that are safe for children. We are insisting that all packaging mention  the chemicals and plastics used in the product and detail the design and quality of toys. We are also educating retailers about safe toys and safety guards that they should pass on to the customer.”

Jhangiani believes that cheap toys are usually unsafe whereas those with a steeper price tag are safer long-term. Says he, “Unfortunately, not every Indian can afford an expensive toy. Which is why we are aggressively educating retailers about helping consumers make graded choices, helping them decide whether to buy a car for Rs 10 or Rs 100.”

However, the problems lie not only in the pricing. Kids tend to put whatever they find in their mouths, which eventually leads to infections. Sometimes they could even choke on smaller toys. Shouldn’t there be more taste-friendly toys for kids then? Jhangiani is considering this along with new standards for mini cars and bikes. “These should strictly be limited to certain age-groups and tagged as being good enough to use only under adult supervision,” says he.

The emphasis on safety, he feels, will also boost the indigenous toy industry, which tends to use more natural fibres and safer ingredients than the cheaper Chinese variants. “Almost 90 per cent of toys in India are imported. Only 10 per cent are locally made. Which is why we cannot compete with pricing because we prize our safety inputs,” says Jhangiani. Which is why the industry is trying to create a platform for home-grown products. “At the annual toy fair, we, as exhibitors, are committed to bringing only safe toys. We are well aware of the responsibility of hosting a million products and 100,000 novelties every year. We see ourselves as an information platform and a multiplier for the toy industry,” he adds.

But above all, there is a need for a regulatory policy. It is the concentrated task of manufacturers, trade associations, buyers and the respective government to set standards that will be globally valid. “Regulations on toy safety are constantly being amended and material and standard values are continuously being adapted to the latest conditions. The industry needs to be made aware at an early stage. We keep our visitors constantly updated. For example, at the Nuremberg toy fair, we kept a separate forum for discussion. Besides this, a number of associations and test institutes are also present at the fair and through them the industry receives a lot of useful and new information,” says Ernst Kick, CEO, Spielwarenmesse eG.

He adds, “It is the concentrated task of manufacturers, trade associations, buyers and the respective government to set standards that would be globally valid. Everyone should do their part to make the world safer for our children, regardless of their origin. Toys must be high-quality, safe and affordable and, of course, have a high value of play.”

Of course, the experts warn of the innocent balloons and their destructive potential. Though these do not come under the toy industry, rubber and nitrogen gas-filled ones are highly risky. It is time to clean up the home.