Fidget Spinners have become increasingly popular to school-aged children but the toy continues to receive condemnations from parents and experts noting that the toy, which was originally designed for children with attention deficit disorder, is a Choking Hazard and is generally not safe for little kids.
Incident after incident have surfaced on the internet regarding reports of children choking after one of the metal bearings inside the toy came off. One incident happened after the child was trying to clean the toy and accidentally swallowed the metal.
Another report identified the girl as Emma and was playing with the toy when the metal bearing came out and it directly flew inside her mouth. A 10-year-old from Houston had to undergo surgery to remove the metal bearing that was stuck in her esophagus.
Due to the many incidents involving fidget spinners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission started an investigation on the matter. Smaller fidget spinners are also now available on the market in an attempt to attract younger children. This then poses another choking hazard risk to a younger population.
Dr. Nina Shapiro, Director of Pediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat at the Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, said that parents should also educate their children about using fidget spinners.
She advised that young children under the age of six should not be given these toys and those who are older should be told that the fidget spinner should not be placed in their mouths. Older kids should also be warned the toy is not meant to be taken apart to avoid accidents like choking due to the metal bearings.
U.S. schools ban fidget spinners
In the United States, 32 percent of the 200 largest schools have imposed bans regarding the toy. The makers of the fidget spinner initially claimed that it could improve a child’s ability to focus and relieve stress especially with those who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
However, there have been no studies presented to back up this claim.
Germany faces same problems with fidget spinners
The United States is not the only country suffering from the setbacks of the fidget spinners. Late last week, German customs officials seized around 39 tons of the toys at the Frankfurt airport before it could enter the country. German customs officials will reportedly destroy these toys as they believe it presents a choking hazard for young kids.
