The consumer watchdog has ordered online retailers including Amazon and eBay to halt sales of a range of toys and games products – including chess sets – marketed for children that contain potentially deadly magnets if swallowed.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it is investigating the supply of banned and potentially deadly toys and games containing small high-powered magnets, including โmagnetic chessโ or โmagnetic battle chessโ style games.
The ACCC said it has sent Amazon, eBay, Kogan and Fruugo take-down requests for the affected products and sought additional measures to prevent sellers relisting the same or similar products. It said the retailers had committed to these actions.
Certain separable or loose small high-powered magnets are covered by a permanent ban under law because of the danger of injury or death if swallowed.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said the magnets were a choking risk, but could also wreak havoc with internal organs.
โSmall high-powered magnets can cause catastrophic, life-threatening internal injuries if swallowed, particularly for young children. Multiple magnets can stick together in the intestine or digestive tissue,โ she said.
โWe are extremely concerned that our investigation has detected sellers listing these banned products on online marketplaces, and we urge all online marketplaces to do more to prevent listings of these products to keep consumers, and especially young children, safe,โ Lowe said.
Lowe urged anyone who had bought affected products to stop using them and keep them out of reach of children. She said they could contact the seller for a refund.
โOnline marketplaces have a critical role in preventing listings of unsafe or banned products,โ Lowe added.
โWe are continuing to engage with online marketplaces to ensure affected customers are contacted and warned about the risks, and that adequate steps are taken to prevent future listings of these products,โ Lowe said.
The take-down orders come days after the ACCC announced it was taking legal action against Amazon over separate safety concerns related to button batteries and a Unicorn-themed backpack it was selling marketed for toddlers.
On Friday, the watchdog commenced Federal Court proceedings against the US-based retailing giant alleging kids backpacks for sale on its website failed to comply with laws requiring sellers to warn when products contain the potentially hazardous batteries.
The batteries are small flat discs that have a history of causing death and serious injury in children who unwittingly swallow them. They can burn through the oesophagus within hours of being ingested.
The Unicorn Toddler backpacks included a detachable light-up unicorn plush toy containing button batteries. The ACCC is alleging Amazon sold 41 of the backpacks in Australia in 2022.
Unlike the small high-powered magnets which are subject to a permanent, outright sales ban, retailers are permitted to sell toys and other products containing button batteries but must comply with strict warning requirements to label products accordingly for parents.
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Elias Visontay is a National Consumer Affairs Reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
