Counterfeit toys are putting children at risk, prompting urgent warnings from the government, Trading Standards teams and child safety experts. Home Office figures reveal that around 259,000 fake toys worth over £3.5m have already been seized by Border Force at the UK border this year. Shocking findings following raids also show that 75% of counterfeit toys seized failed critical safety tests.
The “Fake Toys, Real Harms” campaign – spearheaded by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) along with leading toy retailers, local authorities and social media influencers – is highlighting the dangers identified by expert testing of the goods seized. These include counterfeit toys containing banned chemicals linked to cancer, dangerous choking hazards, and other serious risks – including in toys marketed at toddlers and infants, News Cover reports, citing UK government.
The safety concerns chime with consumer experiences of counterfeit toys: research for the IPO found nearly half (46%) of those who purchased counterfeits reported problems ranging from toys breaking almost instantly to unsafe labelling, toxic smells and even reports of illness in children.
