15 Temu products fail safety tests: CHOICE
Kids tutu, animal watch and spinning top among dangerous products
This $12.79 LED tutu skirt was one of the worst products tested, with a lithium batteries compartment that was not child-proof and very easy to open with just a fingernail, making it especially unsafe.
A number of toys from shopping platform Temu have failed button battery safety standards, a recent investigation by consumer group CHOICE has found.
CHOICE anonymously purchased and tested 15 random coin and button battery-operated products from Temu in May 2024, with every product tested failing at least one requirement of mandatory Australian button battery regulations.
“Our results are a worrying reminder of the potential for these kinds of products to slip through the net, putting children in Australia at risk of serious injury or even death,” says CHOICE CEO, Ashley de Silva.
“Temu has now removed all the offending products from their website, but 12 of the items were still available for sale when we alerted Temu to the issues. It shouldn’t take a CHOICE investigation to ensure unsafe products are removed from their website,” says de Silva.
“The products which failed safety testing included children’s watches, spinning tops, mini electronic games, LED tea lights, and even light-up tutus. Most of them had unsafe, insecure battery compartments, and all of them failed at least one requirement of mandatory button battery safety stands,” says de Silva.
The full list of Temu products which failed safety testing are:
Camera projector: A screw that can easily be lost means the battery compartment is not sufficiently childproof.
Cartoon projector: A screw that can be easily lost means the battery compartment is not sufficently childproof.
Coin cell charger (lithium battery): Coin batteries were supplied loose in a bag that was not designed to be child resistant. Battery can easily be removed from product by children.
Electronic pet game: A screw that can be easily lost means the battery compartment is not sufficiently childproof.
Finger spinning top: It was easy to separate the two halves of this spinning top, making the batteries accessible.
LED tea light (lithium battery): The coin battery on the LED tealight was all-too-easily release and required no tools.
Light-up projectile with fins: Easily accessible battery compartment.
Musical keyboard: A screw that can be easily lost means the battery compartment is not sufficiently childproof.
Projector watch: A screw that can be easily lost means the battery compartment is not sufficiently childproof.
Slap-on animal watch: The battery compartment on this watch could be removed without a tool, making the batteries easily accessible.
Space figurine building blocks: The light-up interior of the space figurine toy contains poorly secured button batteries.
Spinning top with launcher: Safety alert symbol is not present on the front of the packaging.
Square watch: Screw is not captive, meaning it did not remain with the battery compartment when opened.
Tutu skirt (lithium battery): The battery compartment for the LED tutu skirt was easily opened, releasing the batteries.
Writing tablet (lithium battery): The writing tablet contained a lithium coin battery held in by a screw that could easily become lost.