Products for kids getting safer, authorities say

The substandard rate of children's and students' products in Shanghai dropped to 9.8 percent last year from 16.4 percent in 2020 under intensive crackdowns by market authorities, local market regulators said on Tuesday.

A total of 896 batches of products concerning 19 categories such as toys, baby carriages, students' uniforms and pens were checked and tested last year, according to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

Among these, the substandard rate of children's scooters dropped to 15 percent from 28 percent in 2020.

Last year, about 230,000 toys with potential quality safety hazards were taken off shelves or suspended sales, and another 63,237 were recalled.

The administration exposed four typical cases of violations on Tuesday.

Among them, the Shanghai branch of H&M was fined 124,269 yuan (US$18,143) with 871 substandard children's skirts confiscated and destroyed.

The skirts failed quality tests for cord and drawstring requirements, posing potential health and safety hazards, according to the administration.