So, it's time to learn how to make our kids' toys?

Among my many reasons to dislike the parent-industrial complex -- the ceaseless pimping out of your personal information, the sales pitches that alternate between provoking guilt and panic, the ubiquitous imposition of external gender constructs from day one -- here's another one:

The companies that make things for children view their customers' safety as too expensive to be worth bothering with. And by "customers," I mean children.

In "Child Product Makers Seek to Soften New Rules" (NYT, Feb 21, 11), we learn that:

-- Toy manufacturers, working in concert with members of the House of Representatives, are hoping to spike the public database the Consumer Product Safety Commission is scheduled to launch in three weeks. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) cites the whole "you can't trust anything you read on the Internet" argument and, to ensure that there's no way to ensure the validity of anything in the database, pushed through an amendment to strip financing for the database.

-- Rep Mary Mack Bono (R-CA) and Rep John Dingell (D-MI) think it's totally unfair that the U.S. government require third party testing of toys and chidren's products. Why can't we just take the word of these companies that their products are safe? Why should we make them pay for proof that their products aren't unsafe?

-- The Toy Industry Association and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association are both opposed to the database and the third-party testing. Amusingly enough, the TIA has a section on corporate social responsibility urging its members to pay attention to toy safety, and when you click on the toy safety link ... well, it's less about "Hey, maybe we should make toys safer" and more along the lines of "Here are our lobbying efforts regarding current federal regulations." The Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association has taken a different tack: It is promoting its own safety standards. (No word on whether the JPMA gets any money from companies that submit their products to its testing and certification process.)

Nobody is arguing that Mattel is a nonprofit (well, not right now ...). But to argue that it's bad for business for companies to be accountable to anyone other than themselves? That's truly caveat emptor. And it's one thing for the buyer to beware, but what about the buyer's children?

Comments

[Courtney]

It's incredibly frustrating, because out of all consumer groups, new parents have the least time and energy to research products.

[Grainger]

This database is going to be exactly as accurate, well-checked, useful, and verifiable as product reviews on Amazon.

Imagine if there were a form where people could type complaints about your blog. The form doesn't require any sort of identification, or even any evidence of harm; there's just a text box and people can type whatever they like. You aren't notified when someone types in a comment--it's your job to continually monitor the comment box in case someone types something. If someone types a complaint, you have ten days to reply or your blog is shut down permanently. Your reply is reviewed by someone who's never heard of you before, and if they don't consider your reply to be convincing then they'll shut you down anyway.

*That's* how the CPSC database is going to work.

[Grainger]

Oh, PS--did you get a drop-side crib?

[Lisa S.]

To be honest: I really have no problem with the way the first iteration of the database is planned on being run. This is not a secret database, and any company that does not devote resources to monitoring customer complaints and reputation management should perhaps consider whether that's a viable long-term business strategy.

This is consumerism 2.0. Not only do consumers have to learn how to filter all sorts of data by reputation, so do companies.

[Lisa S.]

Oh! I missed the PS. The answer: We ended up inheriting a crib from a really generous friend. The crib DOES have a drop side, but it also has the kit that keeps the side from dropping at all, so it's like a fixie!

[Grainger]

So, did you go back and look at the database?

"Product safety" complaints like the guy who thought that drain cleaner was iced-tea mix because it was brown powder.

The inordinate number of "product safety" complaints from people stubbing their toes on things.

Product complaints of "toy too heavy for young children".

[freelance writer]

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