Toy safety: Parliament adopts new rules to enhance child health protection

November 25, 2025

Read the full article (European Parliment)

"Despite the EU having some of the world’s strictest rules on toy safety, dangerous toys still find their way into children’s hands. On Tuesday, MEPs confirmed an agreement with member states on new toy safety rules to improve the protection of children’s health and development. The update of an existing 2009 directive comes in response to the rise in online shopping (including from outside the EU) and the use of digital technologies. Member states and industry actors will have a 4 ½ year transition period to implement the new measures.

Stricter requirements on chemicals

The existing ban on carcinogenic and mutagenic substances and substances toxic for reproduction (CRM) is extended to chemicals that are particularly harmful to children, such as endocrine disruptors, substances that harm the respiratory system, and chemicals that are toxic for the skin and other organs. The new rules also ban the intentional use of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and the most dangerous types of bisphenols. Allergenic fragrances will be prohibited in toys for children under 3 and in toys designed to be placed in the mouth.

Safety assessment

Before placing a toy on the market, manufacturers will have to carry out a safety assessment on all potential hazards − chemical, physical, mechanical, and electrical. The assessment will also have to test toys’ flammability, hygiene, and radioactivity, and take children’s specific vulnerabilities into account. For example, manufacturers should, where appropriate, ensure that digital toys do not pose risks to children’s mental health."