EU Toy Safety Crackdown: 83% of Activity Toys Fail Compliance Tests

A sweeping investigation by the European Commission has revealed that the majority of children’s activity toys sold across the EU fail to meet basic safety standards, raising urgent concerns for parents, retailers, and manufacturers alike.

The inspection, part of the Joint Actions on Compliance of Products (JACOP) 2024, tested 89 activity toys—including swings, climbing frames, and activity towers—purchased both online and in physical stores across 14 EU countries. The results were sobering: only 17%of the toys complied with EU safety regulations.

Online Marketplaces Under Fire

The disparity between online and offline purchases was stark. Of the 62 toys bought online, just 5 (8%) passed safety checks. In contrast, 10 out of 27 toys from physical stores (37%) met the required standards. This highlights a growing regulatory blind spot in the booming e-commerce toy sector.

Safety Hazards Identified

The toys were tested in an accredited Spanish laboratory, where inspectors found a range of serious issues:

• Instability     leading to fall risks

• Entrapment      hazards for heads, fingers, and clothing

• Detachable      small parts posing choking risks

• Sharp      edges and poor assembly instructions

• Incorrect      or missing safety labels

In total, 23 toys were deemed a serious risk, prompting 20 recalls, 8 market withdrawals, and 8 sales bans. Several others were flagged for corrective action.

A Regulatory Turning Point

This crackdown comes ahead of the EU’s upcoming Toy Safety Regulation (TSR), which will replace the current Toy Safety Directive by 2027. The new regulation introduces:

• A Digital Product Passport with QR codes for traceability

• Stricter chemical safety rules, including bans on endocrine disruptors and PFAS

• Privacy and mental health risk assessments for smart toys

The European Parliament approved the draft in March 2024, signaling a shift toward more transparent and tech-savvy compliance systems.