![]() ![]() These building or construction sets generally consist of brightly colored plastic rods of varying lengths with embedded magnets along with steel ball bearings. Here's how the broad categories of these products differ, and to whom these toys are generally marketed. Online retailers offer everything from traditional educational horseshoe magnet sets to plastic building kits with embedded magnets to "desk toy" magnet sets that feature multiple ball, egg, or cube-shaped magnets. Many of the products marketed toward both kids and adults are often described as having "strong" or "super-strong" magnets, although it's not always clear exactly what kind of magnets are in them, or how powerful the magnets are.Īdding to the confusion is the sheer variety of products that have magnets in them. Neodymium magnets can be manufactured in a variety of sizes and strengths, and now are widely available. ![]() But in 2009 some companies started packaging super-powerful rare-earth, or neodymium magnets into sets that included hundreds of small spheres, marketing them as "sculptural toys" or desk toys for adults. Toys with magnetic components have been around for decades (kids have been able to decorate the face of Wooly Willy with metal filings since 1955). Here's what parents of young children need to know before letting kids play with these products. For right now, parents should consider the age and maturity of their kids when buying a toy with magnets included, and closely supervise use," says Huber. "For all ages, we believe that magnetic toys should be consistently labeled and marketed, so that parents can make an informed decision. "But we recommend that if you have young children, don't keep these toys in your home because of the potentially fatal consequences that can result from accidental ingestion." "We've seen magnetic toys marketed to kids of all ages," says Don Huber, director of product safety for Consumer Reports. "The first symptoms are not that different than symptoms a kid might get, like a stomach ache," especially during the holidays when they're eating a lot of different foods.īecause of the combination of confusion and potential harm, safety experts urge caution for any parents considering magnetic toys for young children this holiday season. "They're very tiny, so if a kid does swallow one a parent might not even know," she notes. Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve children's product safety, says that magnets are a hazard parents may not be aware of-especially because parents may not be able to tell if a child has put magnets in his or her mouth. When contacted for this story, all three retailers said they took safety seriously and that all products they sell conform to federal standards. Some toys had vague age recommendations in their online listings, some had information that directly contradicted the age guidance on the packaging. Recently, Consumer Reports found a variety of magnet-based toys with confusing guidance on age appropriateness on the sites of several major retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart. And it is often difficult for parents to know which products may be okay for their kids. Federal rules also define any small parts that can fit inside a 1.0- to 2.25-inch long, 1.25-inch-diameter tube as a choking hazard for children under 3.Įven with these standards, CR experts believe high-powered magnets meeting current legal requirements may pose a risk to children. These magnets cannot legally be in toys intended primarily for children under 14. Separate from the 2014 CPSC rule, previously established federal toy safety standards define "hazardous magnets" as those products that either are or include small parts with a force of attraction greater than 50 kG² mm² that are accessible to kids. But a subsequent 2016 court decision overturned this rule, and cleared the way for a flood of high-powered magnet-based desk toys and building kits available this holiday season, often sold online. In 2014, the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a national safety standard for high-powered magnet sets requiring that individual magnets sold in these sets either be too large to be considered a small part or have a magnetic force below a defined threshold. These products have a tumultuous regulatory history. An estimated 1,900 of the 2,900 victims were ages 4 through 12. These magnets are known for their super strength, and can cause serious gastrointestinal injuries when swallowed by young kids.Īccording to a government review of injury data from 2009 through 2013, an estimated 2,900 ingestions of magnets from magnet sets were treated in U.S. In the past few years, regulators and safety advocates have expressed serious concerns about products containing small "rare earth" magnets. ![]() ![]() How can parents know if a magnetic toy is safe to give to their child? ![]()
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