François Sobry, spokesperson for the DGCCRF, highlighted that their monitoring efforts encompass a wide range of actors throughout the manufacturing, importation, and distribution processes.

Recent inspections revealed alarming safety issues with toys sold on e-commerce platforms, where 47% of sampled toys failed safety tests and 19% were classified as dangerous.

In 2023, the DGCCRF conducted inspections across more than 2,000 establishments, including both physical stores and online platforms, to assess compliance with safety standards.

These inspections revealed that 28% of the establishments had various compliance issues, leading to 407 warnings, 93 compliance orders, and 18 legal proceedings.

Among the destroyed toys were hazardous items such as a bubble gun with easily accessible batteries, balloons containing carcinogenic substances, and costumes posing strangulation risks.

To ensure safety, the DGCCRF employs rigorous testing methods in laboratories, simulating child interactions with toys to assess mechanical, chemical, and flammability risks.

As a result of these safety concerns, over 225,000 non-compliant and dangerous toys were destroyed in France this year, a significant increase from 184,000 in 2022.

The primary hazards identified included small parts in toys intended for children under three years old and accessible stuffing in plush toys, which pose suffocation risks.

Issues were particularly prevalent among non-specialized distributors and certain online platforms, raising concerns about the safety of products sold in these venues.

The increase in destroyed toys reflects ongoing safety concerns, especially with non-specialized distributors and online sales channels.

In a related development, the European Commission has launched an investigation into the Chinese e-commerce site Temu for potentially selling illegal and dangerous products, including toys.

The high rate of non-compliance is largely attributed to targeted sampling of toys suspected of being unsafe, such as plush toys, costumes, and battery-operated games.