The biggest dangers with toys used to be choking hazards and lead. This year, we mark U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s 40th Trouble in Toyland report. We’re thankful that toys overall are much safer than they were in decades past.
But problems such as choking hazards and lead in toys still exist and we have new, sometimes more alarming issues: Toys that are powered by artificial intelligence that say the darndest (and sometimes quite inappropriate) things, as well as toys shipped from overseas that still too often contain toxics.
In this year’s Trouble in Toyland report, we focus on:
- Our testing of four toys that contain A.I. chatbots and interact with children. We found some of these toys will talk in-depth about sexually explicit topics, will offer advice on where a child can find matches or knives, act dismayed when you say you have to leave, and have limited or no parental controls. We also look at privacy concerns because these toys can record a child’s voice and collect other sensitive data, by methods such as facial recognition scans.
- Toys that contain toxics such as lead and phthalates, which can be incredibly harmful to children.
- Counterfeit toys that are illegal and almost surely weren’t tested for safety, including fake Labubu dolls that have been confiscated by the thousands this year.
- Water beads, which have injured thousands of children over the They will finally have some restrictions when marketed as toys.
- Recalled toys, which we bought again this year, even though it’s illegal for anyone to sell them.
- Toys that contain button cell batteries or high-powered magnets, both which can be deadly if swallowed.
