Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** Consumer testing reveals that many children’s toys, USB chargers, and necklaces sold by Temu and Shein pose safety risks, including choking hazards from small parts. Shoppers are urged to check packaging for age recommendations and hazard warnings before purchasing.
Temu and Shein sell thousands of products. But consumer testing has found many kids’ toys and products, as well as USB chargers and necklaces, aren’t safe.
Small parts that detached during impact testing:
Specs – check the packaging for information on hazards, small parts and the right age range for children.
The safety testing of USB chargers from Shein and Temu found widespread compliance issues, particularly when it came to mechanical and electrical safety.
To check the safety of necklaces, they were tested for levels of the heavy metals cadmium, lead and nickel.
Most necklaces had no issues. However, 3 necklaces from Shein had dangerously high cadmium contents. In all 3 cases, the high amount was in the necklace’s pendant. People who are in the habit of putting their necklace pendant in their mouths are especially at risk.
Frequent exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can be dangerous. It’s difficult for the body to excrete them and, over time, exposure to heavy metals can lead to build-up of toxic levels in the body.
The standard says these toys must not be, or have the potential to create, a hazard if swallowed or inhaled. Put simply, they can’t have small parts, including small parts that could come off during play. The standard also sets out testing methods to ensure no parts can come off and become a choking hazard.
Tested for harmful substances according to the limits in the EU chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).
Tested according to EU product safety directives (for example, 2009/48/EC, REACH and POP (Persistent Organic Pollutants) regulations) for correct labelling, mechanical and electrical safety, and harmful substances.
With Christmas creeping up, it’s tempting to bag a bargain from online retailers like Temu and Shein.
But how safe are the offerings? To find out, consumer organisations in Germany, France, Denmark and Belgium tested 162 products, including children’s toys, USB chargers and necklaces.
The test found more than 60% of the products tested from both online stores had failures. The worst categories were:
– products marketed as suitable for children younger than 3 years old
– USB electronic chargers.
The products were tested against European Union (EU) standards and were tested for mechanical, chemical and electrical compliance. Warning and compliance labels were also checked.
This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on unsafe products bought online. In February, we found safety concerns in a selection of children’s toys in our investigation into the safety of kids’ toys from Temu.
This month, the New Zealand Medical Journal reported that a 13-year-old has undergone major surgery after eating 80-100 small magnets purchased on Temu. These types of magnets have been banned for sale for personal or domestic use in New Zealand since 2014. The authors said this case highlights the dangers of online marketplaces for young New Zealanders and the significant challenge enforcing these laws.
As shown in the table above, all the Shein children’s products tested and 96% of the Temu products had non-compliance issues.
For Temu, 8 products had issues categorised as “high” severity.
For Shein, 10 products had issues categorised as “high” severity.
Moreover, 26 of the 27 Temu products and all 27 Shein products tested also had non-compliant labelling.
**Chemical failures**
2 Temu products had chemical failures.
Formaldehyde was found in elevated levels in cloths from a toy tissue box. Formaldehyde is added to textiles to make them less likely to wrinkle. At high levels, it can cause allergies.
EU regulations state that for young children’s toys or toys intended to be placed in the mouth, formaldehyde content should be lower than 30mg/kg. In 2 of the 7 cloths, levels were found to be around 5 times higher than the regulated amount.
A silicone teething glove contained high levels of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). These are endocrine-disrupting substances, that is, they can interfere with the body’s hormones. There are limits to the amount of NPEs allowed in products that are washed in water during normal use. The Velcro fastener of the Temu teething glove was found to contain around 4 times the limit.
**Mechanical failures**
Mechanical safety issues were found in 30 of the 54 toys tested.
These could be a choking hazard. One product had 13 different small parts that detached.
Toys that were the wrong shape and size:
Several toys had too long or too thin protruding parts. Toys with protruding parts may become stuck in a child’s mouth.
Products that were a suffocation risk:
Some products were a half-sphere shape. This design can cover a child’s mouth and nose and is a suffocation risk.
Toys with loose parts:
Some toys included suction cups to allow the toy to be stuck to the wall. However, some suction cups were loose, and if they came off, they could become a choking hazard.
Toys that were too loud:
A set of squeaky balls was too loud. A loud sound can impair hearing.
**Electrical safety failures**
