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EU Publishes Toy Safety Guidance No.11 on Age Grading for 36 Months of Age

2023-03-01

Background:
The European Commission maintains a "Guidance on Toy Safety", in which the Commission and the Expert Group on Toy Safety draw up guidance documents to assist manufacturers, importers, distributors, and public authorities in the interpretation and application of the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. 

 

This Guidance has recently been added with the 11th part dated 2 February 2023 and titled: "Guidance document on toys intended for children under 36 months of age or of 36 months and over".

 

Significance:

This newly added GUIDANCE DOCUMENT No.11 is a non-binding document intended to provide guidelines to help Member States and stakeholders on the classification of toys intended for children under 36 months of age or of 36 months and over. 

 

Such guidelines for age grading is important since, as pointed out in this guidance, the Toy Safety Directive does not provide requirements regarding the different age classification grades, but acknowledges that children under 36 months of age are especially at risk because of their mouthing behavior and their undeveloped or limited physical and mental maturity, and consequently, the Directive sets out particular stringent provisions for toys intended for those children.

 

Product Categories:
This guide provides valuable information and classification criteria for the following product categories:

Annex 1

Puzzles

Annex 2

Dolls

Annex 3

Soft and stuffed or partially stuffed toys

Annex 4

Fidget toys

Annex 5

Modelling clay/dough, slime, soap bubbles

Annex 6

Movable/wheeled toys

Annex 7

Play scenes, constructed models and construction toys

Annex 8

Game sets and board games

Annex 9

Toys intended to be entered

Annex 10

Toys intended to bear the mass of a child

Annex 11

Toy sports equipment and balls

Annex 12

Hobby horse / stick horse

Annex 13

Push-pull toys and pull-along toys

Annex 14

Audio/Visual Equipment

Annex 15

Toy figures and other toys

 

Some Examples:

Puzzles

< 3 or 3+  

Description of product

Criteria

No.1 

< 3

Foam puzzle

Are interchangeable (same shape, standard and identical indents); can be interconnected at random, in no particular order; whatever their individual size.

 

No.2

3+

Foam puzzle

Puzzles with pieces that are not interchangeable, much smaller and there are many more of them  (full size of finished puzzle is 31 by 22 cm) where the puzzle pieces depict a road and where the foam puzzles depict an intricate image.

 

Reference:
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/toys/toy-safety/guidance_en
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/53234/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native

 

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