Shopping for children's toys? Avoid certain slime products, other 'dangerous' gifts
Ben TobinCorrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story included incorrect information about the toy Dash the Robot.
Toys have long served as a staple of the holiday gift-giving tradition for children. But you might want to avoid putting certain toys on your shopping list this year.
According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group's annual "Trouble in Toyland" report, 15 of 40 inspected toys could be potential safety hazards for children.
Slime products are prominently featured in the report, making up six of the 15 identified dangerous toys. The report states the products have "dangerously high boron content" that can be hazardous if ingested.
The six products are: Kangaroos Original Super Cool Slime, Kidsco Glow in The Dark Slime, Toysmith Jupiter Juice Slime, iBaseToy Fluffy Slime, Haniex Soft Magic Crystal Slime and Meland Fluffy Slime.
Another concern flagged by the report is toys that could share private information.
The report found the Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition "can share a child’s private information with third parties for advertising purposes, and the tablet does not delete the data it stores on you."
The report also noted products with small parts – such as Hatchimals and L.O.L. Surprise Toys – and balloons as choking hazards that did not have proper labelling. With the latter, PIRG found that 87 percent of the latex balloons the group surveyed on Amazon’s website lacked the legally required warning that a toy could be a choking hazard for children under the age of 8.
Producing its "Trouble in Toyland" report for more than 30 years, the group says its inspections have "led to more than 150 toy recalls and other regulatory actions."
Follow USA TODAY intern Ben Tobin on Twitter: @TobinBen