This November, The Toy Association™ marks the 6th annual Toy Safety Awareness Month, spotlighting the steps industry and families can take together to keep kids safe as they play.
While the campaign comes at a critical time during the holiday shopping season, it reflects the toy industry’s year-round commitment to producing safe toys, educating consumers on safe play, and highlighting emerging safety issues families should know.
This commitment has been especially visible in recent months as the global popularity of squishy toys has coincided with warnings. The Toy Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission both issued warnings to consumers about the dangers of counterfeit and knockoff squishy “toys” sold by unscrupulous sellers. The Toy Association’s ongoing proactive safety campaign is designed to help parents and caregivers distinguish safe squishy toys sold by responsible brands from unsafe, counterfeit versions of these products, which have the tendency to burst, tear, or leak and may be filled with chemicals that are banned in children’s products. Check out The Toy Association’s consumer guidance for safe squishy play and share these tips widely.
PlaySafe.org, The Toy Association’s free, year-round safety resource, features additional tips for parents and caregivers, including practical guidance on choosing age-appropriate toys, shopping safely online, checking toys regularly for wear or damage, staying informed about recalls, and navigating emerging issues in both physical and digital play. These tips will be shared throughout Toy Safety Awareness Month in a variety of formats, from social media posts and influencer campaigns to TV segments featuring The Toy Association’s “Toy Safety Mom” and senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs, Joan Lawrence.
Most recently, Lawrence joined an Amazon Live event focused on baby safety, sharing practical tips on age grading, small parts, battery safety, and other considerations for parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers. The Toy Association is building on that outreach during Toy Safety Awareness Month through a toy safety PSA with Amazon.
Consumer education, however, is only one piece of the puzzle. The U.S. maintains some of the world’s toughest toy safety requirements, including mandatory compliance with ASTM F963, the comprehensive toy safety standard developed by ASTM International that addresses numerous potential hazards associated with toys. The Toy Association works throughout the year with industry, government, and safety experts to strengthen that foundation and address new challenges as new products come to market.
That includes looking ahead to safety issues created by emerging technologies. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated and finds new applications in play, The Toy Association is working proactively on several fronts. In addition to developing Safety Guidelines for AI-Enabled Toys, the Association is engaging with lawmakers, government officials, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders as policies governing AI and children continue to take shape. The Toy Association has advocated for thoughtful, study-based approaches that prioritize children’s safety while allowing policymakers and experts to better understand rapidly evolving technologies before imposing broad restrictions.
This emphasis on a collaborative approach extends to the Association’s global work. Through participation in international forums and standards-setting discussions, including engagement with ASTM International, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC 181), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN TC 52), and the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), the Association collaborates with likeminded stakeholders to share expertise, identify emerging issues, and support greater alignment of toy safety standards across markets.
Play is universal, and the importance of safe play extends across borders. This November, The Toy Association invites the global play community to help amplify these critical messages with consumers and media during Toy Safety Awareness Month. Toy manufacturers, retailers, and other industry professionals can participate by sharing The Toy Association’s PlaySafe.org tips with parents and caregivers about safe toy shopping, age-appropriate toy selection, and safe play at home. Follow The Toy Association on Instagram and PlaySafe.org throughout November for shareable resources and campaign updates. Participants are also encouraged to join the conversation using #ToySafetyAwarenessMonth and #PlaySafe.
To learn more about participating in Toy Safety Awareness Month, contact Kristin Morency Goldman, senior director of strategic communications at The Toy Association.
