NSW Fair Trading is encouraging parents, carers and grandparents to exercise caution when buying kids’ presents this holiday season.
Joining the call, Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Kevin Anderson said parents should always check for safety when buying toys and other children’s gifts.
“Leading into the Christmas period, it is important shoppers are aware of the risks of purchasing dangerous toys,” Mr Anderson said.
“It is fantastic to see Australians embracing the Christmas spirit and many of us looking forward to being reunited with our friends and families after months of separation, but it is important that we celebrate the festive season as safely as possible,” he said.
“Retailers have a responsibility to ensure their products do not cause injury to children, but not every retailer plays by the rules, so we need to exercise caution when purchasing gifts for our loved ones.”
Mr Anderson said there were simple steps consumers could take to ensure the gifts they bought were safe, including doing research before buying toys to make sure they were compliant, safe and age-appropriate.
The Minister said consumers who had inadvertently bought an unsafe toy were entitled to a refund and could report businesses for unsafe toys to NSW Fair Trading.
In a statement, Fair Trading said its ‘Five Ss of toy safety’ were a good place to start when trying to select safe, age-appropriate toys.
It said buyers should consider Size, the smaller the child the bigger the toy should be; Shape, be wary of toys that could be easily swallowed or have sharp edges; Surface, make sure all finishes are non-toxic; Strings, anything over 30 cm could be a strangulation hazard for a small child; and Supervision, “nothing replaces close supervision”.
Further information from NSW Fair Trading on safety standards for children’s toys and products can be accessed at this PS News link.
