UK eyes tougher toy safety rules amid calls for regulatory certainty

Zoe Betts and Katie Hancock of Pinsent Masons were commenting as the window for businesses, manufacturers and consumers to help shape future toy safety regulation in the UK prepares to close on 6 October. 

The government launched the call for evidence at the start of July as it examines whether the UK’s toy safety framework is providing adequate protections for consumers against emerging risks created by new technologies, including from chemicals, artificial intelligence, and online marketplaces.

The call for evidence comes in the wake of a growing crackdown on unsafe toy products in the UK and enhanced toy safety regulation across the EU. The EU Toy Safety Regulation was adopted by member states in December 2025 and entered into force on 1 January 2026.

The government said it was reviewing the UK’s toy safety regulation in light of the recent EU reforms to determine the relative potential benefits and costs of adopting a similar approach UK-wide. This includes the potential for continued recognition of the new EU product requirements for toys across the UK, such as CE marking. The government said this could complement the terms of the Windsor Framework, smooth trade across the UK and “simplify processes for NI supply chains, supporting reduced compliance costs for business”. 

Like the EU, the UK has been under renewed pressure to re-examine toy safety regulation amid concerns that the UK market is being flooded by low value imports of non-compliant products that are being sold both in large retailers and small, independent toy shops across the UK.

A recent investigation by the British Toy & Hobby Association identified that 90% of toys it purchased from third-party sellers through online marketplaces failed to meet the UK toy safety requirements.

Earlier this week the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) and the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) also issued a stark warning urging shoppers to buy safe products as law enforcement and local authorities continue to crack down on the sale of unsafe counterfeit toys.

Katie Hancock, a product liability expert at Pinsent Masons, said the UK’s toy safety regulation must be fit-for-purpose and address the complexity of risks facing consumers across global supply chains. “Preventing unsafe products from reaching consumers is always preferable to dealing with the consequences after harm has occurred,” she said. “Effective safety regulation, clear standards and strong supply chain oversight help to reduce the risk of both consumer injury and subsequent litigation. The challenge is to ensure that regulation remains agile enough to address emerging technologies and new routes to market."

Betts, a product safety expert at Pinsent Masons, said any potential changes in regulation would be hugely important for manufactures, importers and distributors operating in the UK market. "Businesses support high product safety standards, but they also need regulatory certainty,” she said. “The review presents an opportunity to ensure that the UK framework remains effective in addressing emerging risks, while avoiding unnecessary complexity for manufacturers operating across international markets.”

Any new legislation on toy safety would be introduced under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which contains extensive powers enabling the secretary of state to make regulations to reduce or mitigate the risks presented by products. It also enables alignment with EU legislation, with the UK government already proposing a range of ambitious measures designed to futureproof the UK’s product safety regulation. 

Many of the measures already proposed also complement updates in the EU. Betts said further alignment with the EU in relation to toys would be welcomed by UK manufacturers, many of which operate across both the EU and UK-wide markets.

The government’s proposals for future toy safety include restrictions on the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in toys – so-called ‘forever chemicals’.  In the EU, the new rules ban the intentional use of PFAS in toys. A more general ban on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of PFAS in the EU is also currently under consideration. 

The UK has so far resisted calls for urgent action on restrictions to non-essential use of PFAS, preferring instead to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach to what happens in the EU. “With closer EU alignment clearly on the cards for the UK, manufacturers can expect further regulation on this too,” said Hancock.