To protect physical and mental development of youngsters, Chinese government to clamp down on fidget toys

The colorful plastic toy knife,nicknamed "Carrot Knife." Photo: Screenshot from online

In order to better protect the physical and mental health of young students, the Ministry of Education, together with three other departments, recently issued a notice, aiming to prevent fidget toys such as radish knives, inhaler nasal sticks and stationeries from posing a health hazard to the younger generations, the China Central Television reported on December 21.

Fidget toys have been going viral recently, especially among Chinese youngsters, arousing safety concerns among parents and the whole society, said the notice, which was jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the All-China Women's Federation. 

Market supervision departments should strengthen the qualification review of the operators at e-commerce platforms, as well as quality and safety supervision and management, it said. Attentions should be paid on the main production areas, markets, rural marketplaces and e-commerce platforms of toys.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government and public security authorities have vowed to clamp down on illegal conducts such as counterfeiting and manufacturing of toys and stationeries. 

Fidget toys include radish knives and inhaler nasal sticks, which are popular as stress-relievers among students. 

The "Energy Stick," or inhaler nasal stick, has been selling well online recently on platforms such as Taobao. Some online shops have already sold nearly 100,000 sticks, whose prices range from 6 yuan ($82 cents) to approximately 128 yuan.

The product contains menthol, ice chips, camphor, essential oils and other ingredients, according to the adverts on Taobao. There are also watermelon, tea and orange flavors and some even contain alcohol to attract more customers.  

The online store salesperson responded by stating that the main ingredients of the product are camphor and mint, which do not contain any addictive properties. 

Meanwhile, Zhao Ting, a Beijing-based medical expert, told the Global Times that some children are likely to get addicted to the "Energy Stick." 

The Tianjin Consumers Association noted that parents and children should be vigilant, strictly prohibiting the "Energy Stick" from being brought to school and eliminating its sales channels. Additionally, some signboards can be installed on campuses to raise awareness among students about hazards of inhaling it, including the risk of addiction.

 

The colorful plastic toy knife, a radish knife, nicknamed "Carrot Knife," has also skyrocketed an astonishing selling online and in stores. Multiple online stores show that their sales exceeded 80,000.

"My daughter bought a Carrot Knife  after her classmate had bought one and said it is a fun toy to use," Wang Xia, a parent from Beijing told the Global Times on Saturday.

Some of radish knives are so small that they can be gripped in the palm of a child's hand while others are as long as one meter. There are various ways of playing with the radish knife, with some mimic stabbing at friends as part of a game, according to media reports. 

Experts warned that such toys could encourage violence and cause long-term psychological harm to children.

To change this situation, the government stressed the importance of guiding to schools on maintaining strict management, and prohibiting bringing harmful toys into campus.

The Ministry of Education said schools should organize safety promotion activities to teach students to correctly identify and keep away from dangerous and harmful toys. Also, parents should teach their children to play with toys and use stationeries safely and in a correct way.

Global Times