Warning: This Popular Toy Everywhere Poses Risks to Kids!

During Christmas or birthdays, many people purchase gifts without thoroughly checking whether they adhere to current safety standards. Often, the visual appeal, popularity, or cost of the gift takes precedence over safety considerations. This oversight can expose both adults and children to various hazards such as toxic materials, small detachable parts, or unsafe mechanisms. This is particularly true for many toys frequently found in the hands of children. In its December issue, the specialized magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs reports that the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has once again highlighted the risks posed by light-emitting toys for children (stuffed toys and interactive dolls, nightlights, spinning light-up tops, etc).

These toys pose a significant health risk to children. According to ANSES experts, the main concern is the LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, which emit blue light. It has been repeatedly stated that exposure to blue light can disrupt children’s biological clocks, affecting their long-term sleep patterns and cognitive development. Moreover, “at high intensities, it can cause damage” to the retina in their eyes, according to the article in 60 Millions de Consommateurs.

Technically, these LED toys are regulated by a European standard (EN IEC 62115 2020) that was last revised in 2020. However, ANSES believes this standard should be revised again, more stringently, as it was previously in 2005. After several tests conducted on toys with LEDs, results showed that 7 out of 19 LEDs, despite conforming to the current standard, did not meet the safety expectations set by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety. Nonetheless, Christophe Drevet, director of the French Federation of Toy Industries, pointed out to colleagues that LED lights in toys are generally “protected by a diffuser, a plastic cover (…) which effectively serves as a filter.”

Regardless, ANSES advises that if you still choose to give a child a light-emitting toy, it is safer to opt for one that uses red light diodes. These are less harsh on the eyes and less disruptive to the sleep of young children, and they can even have a calming effect in some cases.