Group presents annual list of unsafe summer toys

BOSTON — A consumer watchdog group says those wildly popular fidget spinners aren't as harmless as they might appear.

Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm addressed spinners and other fad items when the nonprofit organization presented its annual list of unsafe summer playthings on Wednesday.

Officials said that nearly half of all injury-related deaths to children occur during the summer.

W.A.T.C.H.'s list highlights potentially hazardous items that parents should avoid. Those include:

• Hoverboards
• Fidget spinners
• Plastic swords
• High-powered water guns
• Non-motorized scooters (The #1 cause of toy-related injuries)
• Bounce-houses
• Backyard trampolines (Which results in 100,000 injuries each year)

They also want parents to be aware of drowning, the quick and silent killer. Officials say most drownings of children under five happen in your own backyard.

In the last 12 months, seven different toys were recalled over choking hazards. Officials say that problem is bigger than it may seem.

“Imagine Fenway Park filled with fans. Now, take the park and fill it 41 times, each fan represents a single toy from one of the recalls this past year alone. That’s over 1.5 million units of toys recalled in the past 12 months,” said W.A.T.C.H. President Joan Siff.

In 2015, W.A.T.C.H. officials say there were over 254,000 toy-related injuries.

Associated Press