The European Parliament has just approved the overhaul of the rules relating to the safety of toys sold online. These measures include in particular the establishment of a “digital toy passport”.
Buying a toy online should no longer be synonymous with danger for your child. Indeed, the European Parliament has just taken a favorable position on the overhaul of the rules in force concerning the safety of toys sold online.
Without talking about urgency, the question was important, especially when we know that toys were part of the 2022 TOP 10 dangerous products according to the European alert system (23% of notifications alone). With these new measures, the European Parliament wants to impose stricter rules on the design of toys.
For example, the following are banned from the manufacturing process:
- carcinogenic and mutagenic substances
- substances toxic to reproduction
- endocrine disruptors
- chemicals that can affect the respiratory system
- perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkaline substances
Also read: The CNIL attacks connected toys for “serious infringement of privacy”
A digital passport for every toy
Furthermore, every toy sold online within the EU will now have to display a digital passport. This new document will replace the current European declaration of conformity. Concretely, it will allow strengthen traceability of a product and will also facilitate control operations carried out by customs. Users will also be able to easily access information relating to safety and warnings, notably via a QR code.
According to Parliament, toy manufacturers will be supported in carrying out security assessments and compliance with new passport requirements.
Connected and AI-based toys also targeted
Note that toys that feature AI are not spared. Indeed, they will have to comply with the recent law on artificial intelligence and respect certain requirements regarding cybersecurity, personal data protection and privacy. As for manufacturers of connected toys, they will have to take into account the risks for mental health and cognitive development of children.
As a reminder, the case of connected toys is not new. In 2019, the CNIL declared that connected toys were a danger for children, particularly because risks of hacking or espionage (in the case of products equipped with a microphone and an internet connection). “Children are our future and deserve the safest toys we can give them. This is what we assure them with the revision of the safety rules,” promises the text’s rapporteur Marion Walsmann.