The new EU child protection rules have been endorsed by the European Parliament and must now be subject to inter-agency negotiations.
He European Parliament on Thursday endorsed a proposal aimed at improving the toy safety available on the market European Union (EU)with special attention to the harmful and toxic substances for children and the increasing risks posed by digital products.
Marion Walsmann, from the German representation of the European People’s Party (EPP), who is leading the file in the Community Parliament, told ‘Euronews’ that the current directive on Toy Safety, 2009, is obsolete and needs a review, especially with the growing importance of online marketplaces.
“But also, in light of the latest scientific discoveries on harmful chemicals, the corresponding limit values“he added.
With that objective, the European Commission presented a proposal of new regulation in 2023. “This proposal will ensure that children are even better protected when playing with toys, including against harmful chemicals,” said Commissioner Thierry Breton.
Digital technologies
Breton added that compliance with the regulations will be strengthened thanks to the digital technologieswhich will make it easier to detect unsafe toysespecially at the borders of the EU.
The regulation will introduce essential requirements for toys to ensure a high level of protection of children’s health and safety. Adds a new ban on endocrine disrupting chemicals (SAE) and respiratory sensitizers to the current prohibition of carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic substances.
As the endocrine system and the brain of children are still in development, they are very sensitive to any substance that affects its development. Respiratory sensitizers can cause an increase in childhood asthma, and neurotoxic substances are especially harmful to children’s developing brains, which are more vulnerable to toxic injury than adult brains.
What are endocrine disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that alter the normal hormonal activity of the bodysuch as bisphenols and phthalates. Exposure to endocrine disruptors can be dangerous even at very low doses and have effects later in life.
Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals has been widely studied in recent years, since analyzes suggest which may be responsible for the decreased number of spermthe increase in the number of male children born with genital malformations and the increase in cases of certain types of cancer which are known to be sensitive to hormones.
The text proposed by Parliament reinforces the obligation of manufacturers of include warnings on toys that describe the potential risks and clarify the age groups for which they are intended.
Digital Product Passport
Under the Commission proposal now agreed by Parliament, manufacturers will have to create a Digital Product Passport to provide information on the compliance of toys with this Regulation and with any other legislation applicable to toys.
In addition to the digital passport, they must also carry out a safety assessment before introducing a product on the market that must cover all chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical, flammability, hygiene and radioactivity risks, as well as potential exposure to them.
MEPs also agreed that this assessment should also consider the health risks posed by the digitally connected toysincluding those affecting the mental health and cognitive development of children.
Children’s mental health
“It is now key to convince Member States to maintain the precautionary principle in legislation and ensure better provisions against risks that connected toys can pose for the children’s mental health“Florence Punzano, policy manager at the consumer organization BEUC, told ‘Euronews’.
The next step will be for the new rules to be submitted to inter-institutional negotiations between the Parliament, Commission and Council. “I am confident that, as soon as the new Commission is established, the negotiations can be concluded within a few weeks or months,” Walsmann added.
