Did you buy toys for your children during the summer vacation? Some hot selling products are actually... children | products | toys
During summer vacation, as children spend more time playing at home, the toy market heats up. However, some popular "toys" in live streaming rooms or social media platforms may pose risks.
Dust, fake water, open flames... are these all toys?
"My child has been obsessed with 'archaeology' recently, but after playing with a set of 'archaeology' toys, my whole body is covered in dust, and I don't know if it will affect my health." Ms. Chen, the parent, told reporters that her 8-year-old son chose a 'archaeology' toy while watching the live broadcast. From the live broadcast, various "treasures" are hidden in "rocks", and children have to use small hammers, awls, brushes, etc. to chisel open the "rocks" and take out the "treasures". The anchor promoted that these types of toys can cultivate children's concentration and hands-on ability, and can also stay away from their phones, so she bought a set for her son.
Unexpectedly, when my son was playing, dust was flying around, and there were fragments from chiseling rocks on his hands, face, and even nose. Ms. Chen checked the toy packaging and found that there were no safety risks on it. Communicated with the shop owner, but was informed that the composition of the rock is gypsum, which is safe; As for dust, it is a normal phenomenon. "Clean it with your child" and "Don't let your child miss the opportunity to exercise just to relax for yourself"
The reporter found through short videos and e-commerce platforms that "archaeological toys" are still quite popular. However, in consumer reviews, there are many doubts about the possibility of dust and children inhaling it. From the product introduction, there is no indication that children should take protective measures when using it.
Some "archaeological toy" merchants directly admit that they cannot confirm the product batch
Coincidentally, Mr. Li, the "father" of science, has doubts about various "scientific experiment" toys: "From video advertisements, the raw materials for such experiments are colorful, some will condense when exposed to water, and some will grow" leaves "when dropped on wooden sticks. What are they? Is it safe for children to touch them with their hands?"
The reporter found that this type of toy is mainly promoted online, in addition to short videos and live streaming rooms, there are also embedded advertisements on social media platforms, focusing on "STEM education". For the safety of materials, customer service only emphasizes that the changes come from physical or chemical reactions, but does not comment on what the materials are and where the colors come from.
Toys under the banner of "STEM education" are constantly emerging, with varying qualities and qualities
In fact, the risk of popular toys is not just a rough estimate, and regulatory authorities have also issued warnings.
At the end of June, the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation exposed a batch of fire paint seal products with significant safety hazards: out of 20 batches of samples, 15 batches were collected from online channels and all indicated on the website that they were "toys". But inspectors found that these "toys" generate open flames during use, and many of them do not have barriers that can block children's contact with open flames, which may cause burns to children.
Moreover, categorizing such products as "toys" is also very far fetched. Zhang Ruohong, the director of the Light Chemical Institute of the Shanghai Quality Inspection Institute, stated that there is no exact product classification for lacquer seal products, but distributors equate them with toys. Therefore, the Shanghai market regulatory department has issued a consumer warning on the use of fire paint seal products, advising parents to be cautious when choosing for their children.
How to choose children's products in the live broadcast room?
However, it is unavoidable that online marketing has become an important layout for many production enterprises. How should consumers choose products from live streaming rooms and short videos?
Just a few days ago, Xiao Xiao, who is both a toy industry practitioner and a "second treasure mother", visited the International CBME Maternity and Infant Exhibition held in Shanghai with her 11 year old son and 7-year-old daughter. She found that this year's exhibits have three characteristics: firstly, there is a significant increase in children's products suitable for consumption by multiple age groups and even the whole family, including study tables and chairs, learning machines, desk lamps, tents, campsite vehicles, etc. that can be adjusted according to the growth of children; Secondly, there are more and more products that focus on STEM education; Thirdly, many brands have opened online live streaming accounts, with a significant trend in online marketing. "Products that were originally only available offline can now be found online, and there are reality shows available."
At the CBME exhibition, there were many "family toys"
She believes that although more products can be accessed through online channels, new problems have also emerged: the quality of online products varies, and photos and videos may be fake. For ordinary consumers, they need to have the ability to filter through complex information.
How to do it?
Wang Yu, Chief Strategy Officer of the Shop International Retail Marketing Advertising Association, believes that as content e-commerce becomes increasingly common, marketing information is indeed increasing. However, in the end, businesses will create user profiles, usually dividing the consumer group into different types such as "wool party", "ingredient party", "follower party", "utility party", and "quality party", and then marketing according to their preferences.
As a consumer, you can actually check in by matching the number and determine which category you belong to. For example, the "wool party" usually focuses more on price, while the "ingredient party" and "quality party" have higher requirements for product safety. The "follower party" often follows the platform's rankings for consumption. Rational consumers should pay more attention to the introduction of "ingredients" and "quality", and can also check consumer reviews instead of easily believing in platform rankings. It should be noted that in common content e-commerce, brand owners will spend money on "soft advertising", and "following the trend" consumption is not wise.
Just like when choosing children's food, one should pay attention to the ingredients, and when choosing toys, one should also refer to product information
"Seeing is believing" is very important
Xiao Xiao, who has a dual identity as an industry insider and a parent, believes that in terms of toy consumption, offline habits also apply to offline purchases. "Many times, I even recommend parents to bring their children offline to purchase. On the one hand, it can better understand what children like during the trial play, and on the other hand, 'seeing is believing', which can comprehensively understand products, including quality, product information, etc. through physical objects."
"Seeing is believing" is very important
LEGO Group officials also agree that parents should bring their children to experience more offline, rather than just through online procurement. This year, they specially planned a fun festival event in Shanghai to showcase the possibilities of building blocks in different scenarios, encouraging more children and families to explore various possibilities in free play. "When playing offline, children and parents can have a more comprehensive understanding of toys, and there is a process of communication and cooperation, especially between children, which generates many new ideas that other channels do not have." This person believes that parents can use these advantages to further play the role of "integrating education with entertainment".
Offline experience not only provides a better understanding of product quality, but also enables interaction, collaboration, and more
In fact, in addition to comparing the characteristics of online and offline consumption, regulatory authorities have also issued multiple reminders suggesting that consumers should pay attention to several "mandatory regulations" when choosing toy products. Frontline law enforcement officers have stated that products sold through both online and offline channels must comply with these regulations. When parents choose toys online, they should pay attention to following the instructions in the picture.
Firstly, according to national regulations, toys must pass the "China Compulsory Product Certification", which means that toys need to be labeled with the CCC logo, which is also a qualified identification certificate for children's products such as strollers and toys. Toys that have not passed CCC certification may not only have poor quality, but may also cause varying degrees of physical and mental harm to children. So, when choosing toys, it is important to pay attention to checking whether there is a CCC logo on the labels or outer packaging of these children's products; When shopping online, you can also check whether you have CCC certification information on the product details page, or ask the seller to present the certification certificate.
Secondly, purchase products through legitimate channels. Regardless of the channel of purchase, it is necessary to check product information such as product name, factory name, and address, especially pay attention to warning instructions, and refuse "three no" toys.
"Fake water" toys are prone to children mistaking them for drinks, which carries certain risks
Finally, be cautious when purchasing fire paint seals, crystal mud, fake water, and chemical experimental products. Some of these products have not been classified or regulated under the category of "toys", which inherently carries risks; Some packaging does not have Chinese instructions, safety risk warnings are insufficient, or the product itself has structural defects. In addition, products such as crystal mud, fake water, and chemical experiments contain many brightly colored liquids, which are easily mistaken by children as beverages and can lead to accidental consumption.
