Baby products sold on Shopee, Lazada pose safety hazards
Consumers have been urged to be cautious when buying baby products from e-commerce platforms after some listings were found to be unsafe.
In the first-half of 2024, 15 out of 23 products purchased from Shopee and Lazada were found to be unsafe upon inspection, said Enterprise Singapore in a Sept 26 statement.
These non-compliant products include baby bouncers and toys with detachable parts which may cause choking or strangulation, and unstable bouncers and walkers which may topple.
Retailers have since been contacted, and have removed the product listings. Those who have purchased the affected products are advised to stop using them, said Enterprise Singapore.
The KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital has seen an annual average of 46 incidents involving children and toys with small parts over the past two years. In severe cases, the ingesting of the parts have led to the blockage of intestines or resulted in death from choking.
More than 10 injuries arising from the use of baby walkers and bouncers are also registered by the hospital every year, said the statement.
Consumers should only buy a product if the seller is reputable and if they deem the product as safe and suitable after reading any age or safety instructions.
They are also advised to inspect the product upon receiving it and supervise children when they are playing with it.
Those found guilty of not complying to the Consumer Product Safety Office’s directions to stop the sale of unsafe products may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
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