Toy Industry Association (TIA) Statement to 'Good Morning America'

Nov. 25, 2010 — -- The federally mandated small parts regulations that have been in place in the United States for more than three decades were established using research from noted experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics and take into account the physiological make up of a child.

Under the purview of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the small parts regulations have been reviewed by experts over the years and have been repeatedly found to be effective in preventing harm to children under three who tend to "mouth" objects. In addition to the reaffirmations within the U.S., the standards and have been emulated around the world.

The most recent U.S. reaffirmation came in 2008 when Congress mandated the American National Standard for toy safety (ASTM F963) – and the federal small parts regulations that were repeated within the standard – as a consumer product safety rule. All toys sold in the United States must conform to these tough federal safety standards.

If the CPSC were to determine that the small parts regulations needed to be updated, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) and its members would fully support this effort. Safety is the number one priority of the toy industry and U.S. toymakers are committed to assuring the safety of the toys they produce.

TIA provides free online resources to help assure safe play for children: tips for selecting appropriate toys, supervising play, making sure toys are used as intended, and keeping young children away from toys that are intended for older children are four simple but very important points. Additional information and guidance – from shopping tips to recall information – can be found online at www.ToyInfo.org.