WIREDGOV

The shameful lack of action of online marketplaces to keep children safe has been laid bare by BBC Watchdog after a bladed item was found hidden in a children’s stationery kit that was purchased from Amazon. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is horrified, once again, to see consumers put at such risk when buying products online.

Journalists from BBC Watchdog were made aware of the dangerous product – made to look like a colourful flower – after a mother was horrified to find a seven-year-old and one-year-old with the hidden blade, after being gifted the stationery kit as a toy. But for the vigilance of nearby adults, this product – advertised as a “cute gift for kids” and being “suitable for school use” – could have caused serious injuries.

Under current regulations, online marketplaces are largely classified as a “distributor” under the Toy Safety Regulations and have no obligations to ensure the products sold on their website by third parties are legally compliant. However, once made aware they are making a dangerous product available through their website, they are obligated to remove it.

The online marketplace in question was informed of the dangerous product so that the product line could be removed from the website to protect consumers. However, only the pink coloured version of the product was removed and even that was only removed temporarily. Almost a fortnight after originally reporting the dangerous product, the BBC Watchdog team were able to purchase the same product once again from Amazon, after it was re-listed. This time, the re-listing had no warnings or images to show that it contained a hidden blade, but when the product arrived it still contained that same dangerous blade. The online marketplace in question refuses to remove the product (or similar) products from its website, seemingly putting profits above preventing children from suffering serious injury.

Christine Heemskerk, CTSI Lead Officer for Product Safety, yesterday said:

“from the images shared by BBC Watchdog, I would classify this product as a children’s toy based on the colourful appearance and shape of the product, and that it is marketed for children. The inclusion of a hidden blade in the product therefore makes this an unsafe product, and it – and similar products – should be removed from sale. Until stronger legal obligations are placed on online marketplaces, Trading Standards professionals can do very little to protect consumers from dangerous products sold online and are reliant on online marketplaces regulating themselves – something that simply is not happening at present.”

John Herriman, CTSI Chief Executive, yesterday said:

“I am horrified to once again hear an example of dangerous products being sold through irresponsible online marketplaces. Online marketplaces consistently allow consumers to be exposed to serious safety risks and there is, unfortunately, very little that can be done at present to tackle the issue. I urge the Government to introduce robust legal obligations to ensure online marketplaces verify the legality of the products that they make available for sale through their website.”