Parents warned over squishy toys sold online with syringes and needles

Mixed · 2Parents are being warned about "squishy" sensory toys sold online with medical syringes and sharp needles, and consumer protection officials are investigating. 1 2 Right · 1The toys are promoted as fidget or stress-relief products, and some come with syringes used to pump air into them, change their texture or create bubbles that can be burst. 1 Mixed · 2The Telegraph reported at least one case in which a child needed A&E treatment after piercing a finger or hand with a needle supplied with a "pimple popper" squishy toy. Metro describes this as a stabbing in the hand. 1 2

Mixed · 2Kate Dearden MP, the minister for consumer protection, said her department was "actively investigating this issue" and that parents would be deeply concerned. GB News adds that she warned products capable of harming children should not be sold online. 2 1 Mixed · 2The Telegraph said it was able to order several toys that came with needles, including one with a 5ml medical syringe from a third-party Amazon seller. That listing carried no age restriction or safety warning. A second set of four sand-filled squishies came with a syringe despite conflicting age information: the description said unsuitable for under-14s, while the packaging said "Age 3+". 2 1 Right · 1GB News also reports that similar products from third-party sellers on AliExpress show syringes in photos, descriptions or customer reviews. 1

Mixed · 2Kerry Nicol of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said: "When a product that is very much aimed at children comes with a needle and syringe, something has gone seriously wrong." She said dangerous products too easily enter the UK market through third-party sellers. Katrina Phillips OBE, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said online marketplaces should have the same duty of care as high-street shops. 1 2 Mixed · 2Authorities in Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan have issued warnings about similar toys, and the CTSI has urged UK online marketplaces to act. 1 2 Right · 1Amazon said it was "shocked" and had removed the products identified. AliExpress said it had removed the listings, begun a recall including contacting buyers, and was introducing a UK-wide ban on toys supplied with sharp needles plus a "targeted review" of similar listings. 1

Left · 1Metro sets the story against earlier squishy toy recalls over choking hazards, including nearly 37,000 items recalled by ABC Trading and about 7,200 Rainbow Mystery Squishy Bun Toys recalled by OKK Trading. 2