Baby safety is a top concern for parents across the UK, but a recent investigation by consumer champion Which? has uncovered a disturbing trend of potentially lethal infant products available on major online marketplaces. The investigation identified 150 products that pose serious risks to infants, including self-feeding prop feeders and baby sleep pillows.
The concerning items were listed for sale across popular platforms such as Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop. Notably, almost a quarter of the identified unsafe products were found on Amazon, which claims to be an industry leader in detecting dangerous goods. Every single one of these marketplaces was facilitating the sale of multiple products capable of endangering an infant's life.
Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection Policy at Which?, expressed grave concerns about the findings, stating that the lives of babies are at risk because these platforms are failing to prevent dangerous products from reaching their customers. She highlighted the ease with which these unsafe items were found, questioning the credibility of powerful companies like Amazon or eBay when they assert that safety is a top priority.
The investigation focused on products that had previously been subject to safety alerts or product safety notices issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). For instance, Which? discovered 54 self-feeding devices on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop, despite an OPSS warning in 2022 about their potential to cause serious injury or death due to choking or aspiration pneumonia. These devices enable babies to bottle-feed without constant supervision, heightening the risk of silent choking.
Furthermore, Which? identified 37 sleep pillows marketed for infants under 12 months across AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop. Many of these used terms such as “newborn” or “infant” and depicted babies using them in cots. The OPSS had issued a warning in December 2023 that such sleep pillows pose risks of suffocation and overheating, which can contribute to serious injury or death and have been associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
In response to the findings, Which? is urging government ministers to utilise new powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which came into force last July. The consumer group advocates for making online marketplaces legally responsible for the safety of third-party products sold on their platforms, with robust penalties for those that fail to comply. Several platforms, including Alibaba, AliExpress, and Etsy, have stated they have removed the flagged products and are taking steps to enhance their safety measures.