Children and toys are a natural combination, and mandatory safety standards and regulations are intended to reduce the risk of injury from electric toys and other electrical products for children. However, it is still important for parents and caregivers to understand potential hazards and supervise children appropriately.

Published by EMFSA | 30th July 2026

Electrical Safety

Electrical toys and products powered by batteries or connected to mains electricity might introduce additional hazards that parents and caregivers should understand. These include: 

• Electric shock
• Burns
• Fire
• Short circuits

Water and Electricity

Explain to children that water and electricity don’t mix.

• Don’t allow children to play with electrical toys near water
• Never let children touch buttons, switches, or plugs with wet hands
• Never immerse battery-powered toys unless the manufacturer specifically states they are waterproof. (1)

Electrical Installations

• Electricity pylons, transformer houses, substations and railway electrical infrastructure can present serious hazards. Children should not play near these structures.
• High-voltage and overhead power lines: Adults and children should avoid flying helium balloons and kites near overhead power lines.

Fatal Electrocution of a Child During Kite Flying: A Case Report

A 2026 case report described the fatal electrocution of a child during kite flying after the kite string came into contact with an overhead power line. The case illustrates the potentially fatal consequences of flying kites close to electrical infrastructure.  (2)

Drones

• Remote-controlled drone: Remote-controlled drones should be operated in accordance with applicable aviation regulations and kept well away from overhead power lines and substations. (3, 4)
• Electric fences: Electric fences typically deliver brief high-voltage, low-current pulses and are designed not to be life-threatening under normal operating conditions. Nevertheless, children should never be left unattended near them. (4)

Batteries and Magnets

Take extra care with toys that contain small batteries (button or lithium coin cells) and small magnets, especially high-powered (rare-earth) magnets. These can become loose and pose a serious hazard to young children. Young children may swallow batteries or magnets, or insert them into their nose or ears. Swallowing powerful magnets can cause serious internal injuries. (5)

Button Batteries

Button batteries are a medical emergency if swallowed or inserted into the nose or ear. They can cause serious tissue injury within a short period of time. 

Button batteries can be found in small remotes, car key fobs, mini remotes that control MP3 speakers, calculators, bathroom scales, reading lights, flameless candles, talking and singing books, singing greeting cards, watches, thermometers, hearing aids, flashing jewelry, ornaments, games and toys. (6)

In 2022, the U.S. government enacted Reese’s Law to improve child safety regarding button batteries. (7)

Battery Safety Tips

• Keep spare and used button batteries out of children’s reach.
• Ensure battery compartments are secure and cannot be easily opened by children.
• Stop using toys with damaged batteries or battery compartments.
• Use only the charger recommended by the manufacturer.
• Replace damaged rechargeable batteries promptly.

Lithium-ion Batteries

In 2025, a medical journal documented the case of a young boy who was burned when a portable lithium-ion charger caught fire in his pocket while he was using his phone. The experience had an impact beyond his physical injuries. The family subsequently changed the way they approached battery safety, and both the child and his parents went on to share their experience to help raise awareness of the potential risks. (8)

E-bike and Electric Scooters/bicycles (e-scooters/bikes)

The Canadian Paediatric Society advises that children younger than 16 years should not operate or ride as passengers on e-bikes or e-scooters. The Society states that e-scooters and e-bikes are not toys and were not designed for children.  (9)

Riding Toward Danger: A Scoping Review of Burns Associated With Personal Mobility Devices, Including Electric Bikes (E-Bikes) and Electric Scooters (E-Scooters)

Burns associated with lithium-ion batteries in personal mobility devices, including e-bikes and e-scooters, are an emerging safety concern. Accordingly, the review highlights the importance of safety education, compliance with applicable regulations, and careful use of personal mobility devices, including products involving battery modifications or DIY conversion kits. (10)

Electric Scooter Battery Detonation: A Case Series And Review Of Literature

Lithium-ion battery failures can result in intense fires and thermal runaway, which can spread rapidly. 

Thermal runaway can result from several failure mechanisms and is not limited to batteries that are actively charging. (11)

Injuries Associated With Electrical Flash Burns in Children Caused by E-bike Batteries

A published report describes electrical flash-burn injuries in children associated with e-bike batteries and highlights the importance of recognising this type of injury and providing appropriate safety information to families. (12)

Hoverboards and Self-balancing Boards 

The batteries in these devices can present a serious fire risk if used, charged or sourced incorrectly. Counterfeit and substandard battery chargers can also pose serious safety hazards. (13) 

Heated Clothing

Full-Thickness Burn Resulting From an E-Sock: A Case Report

A published case report described a full-thickness burn associated with a lithium-ion battery-powered heated sock. The case highlights the need for caution when using battery-powered heated clothing and the importance of following manufacturer safety instructions. (14)

Laser Toys

A published case series has reported retinal injuries following childhood exposure to laser products marketed as toys. This highlights a potential public-safety concern. (15)

LED Toys

Some children’s toys—including cuddly toys, dolls, drawing tablets, toy trucks, spinning tops and illuminated board games—contain LEDs. Children’s eyes do not yet filter blue light as effectively as adults’ eyes, allowing more blue light to reach the retina. Some LEDs emit a high proportion of blue light, and ANSES has expressed concern that current toy eye-safety standards may not adequately protect children. 

Excessive close-range exposure to high-blue-light-emitting LEDs may pose a risk of retinal photochemical injury. Such exposure may also affect circadian rhythms and sleep, particularly when used in the evening. (16)

Social Media Toy Challenges

A case report and warning:

Severe pediatric burn injuries following a social media trend involving a microwaved toy.

A 2026 case report described significant facial burns in a 10-year-old girl. This was after an online activity involving a microwaved frozen stress ball. The authors highlighted the case as an example of the potential for social-media trends to expose children to serious injury risks. (17)

Additional Resources: 

Toy safety regulations 2026: Key updates for the EU, UK, US, and China https://www.eurofins.com/en/consumer-product-testing/softlines-hardlines/news-articles/toy-safety-regulations-2026-key-updates-for-the-eu-uk-us-and-china

Sources

Part 1

[1] ESFI. Electrical Gifts for Children. https://www.esfi.org/electrical-gifts-for-children/

[2] Vadysinghe AN, Seneviratne P, Ekanayake KB, Ekanayake NK, Wickramasinghe CU, Sanjaya B. Fatal Electrocution of a Child During Kite Flying: A Case Report. Arch Med Sadowej Kryminol. 2026 May 28;76(1):76-81. doi:10.4467/16891716AMSIK.26.007.23583. PMID: 42325150. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42325150/

[3] National Grid UK. Drone Safety. https://customer.nationalgrid.co.uk/advice-and-guidance/staying-safe/drone-safety

Part 2

[4] VDE. Children and Electricity. https://www.vde.com/topics-en/consumer-protection/children-and-electricity

[5] Montreal Children’s Hospital. Toy Safety. Trauma Injury Prevention. https://montrealchildrenshospital.ca/trauma-injury-prevention/toy-safety/

[6] UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. The Dangers of Children Swallowing Button Batteries. https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/the-dangers-of-children-swallowing-button-batteries

Part 3

[7] Steelman SH, Carpenter C, Jordan KS. Button Battery Ingestion: A Tiny Object with the Potential for a Catastrophic Outcome. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. 2025;47(2):122–128. doi:10.1097/TME.0000000000000565. Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

[8] van de Warenburg MS, Riesmeijer SA, Hummelink S, Ulrich DJO, Vehmeijer-Heeman MLA W. Burn by Battery, the Dangers of Portable Devices – A Case Report. Burns Open. 2025;9(Supplement C):100388. doi:10.1016/j.burnso.2024.100388. Open Access under CC BY 4.0 License

[9] Canadian Paediatric Society. Electric Scooters and Bikes: Not Safe for Kids. Caring for Kids. Safety and Injury Prevention. https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/safety-and-injury-prevention/electric-scooters-and-bikes

Part 4

[10] Warner-Levy J, Herieka M, Sheikh Z. Riding Toward Danger: A Scoping Review of Burns Associated With Personal Mobility Devices, Including Electric Bikes (E-Bikes) and Electric Scooters (E-Scooters). Journal of Burn Care & Research. 2024 Sep 6;45(5):1154-1159. doi:10.1093/jbcr/irae115. PMID: 38878005. Open Access under CC BY 4.0 License. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11379144/

[11] Hsieh MKH, Lai MC, Sim HSN, Lim X, Fok SFD, Joethy J, Kong TY, Lim GJS. Electric Scooter Battery Detonation: A Case Series and Review of Literature. Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters. 2021 Sep 30;34(3):264-276. PMID: 34744543. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8534310/

[12] Zhao X, Shen Y. Injuries Associated With Electrical Flash Burns in Children Caused by E-bike Batteries. Journal of Burn Care & Research. 2023;44(2):347–352. doi:10.1093/jbcr/irac072. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Burn Association

Part 5

[13] Electrical Safety First. Hoverboards and Self-Balancing Boards. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/safety-advice/products-and-appliances/transport/hoverboards-and-self-balancing-boards/

[14] Greenberg K, Chang KM, Supple MD, Goverman J. Full-thickness Burn Resulting From an E-Sock: A Case Report. Wounds. 2024;36(10):327-330. doi:10.25270/wnds/24024. Copyright © 2024 HMP Global. All Rights Reserved.

[15] Ophthalmology Times. Laser ‘Toys’ Can Cause Ocular Damage in Children. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/laser-toys-can-cause-ocular-damage-children

Part 6

[16] ANSES. LEDs in Toys: ANSES Calls for a Revision of the “Eye Safety” Section of the European Standard. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/leds-toys-anses-calls-revision-eye-safety-section-european-standard#

[17] Bonner R, Munro KJ. Severe Pediatric Burn Injuries Following a Social Media Trend Involving a Microwaved Toy: A Case Report and Warning. JPRAS Open. 2026 Mar 26;50:84-90. doi:10.1016/j.jpra.2026.02.017. PMID: 42099753. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13147427/

• Image credit: Generated with Lumo by Proton

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December 19, 2020

All you need to know about 5G

http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2020/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-5g.html

The post Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder on 5G appeared first on EMFSA.

By Tony Carnie 13 August 2020

Under cover of the Covid-19 crisis, government and private officials appear to be using legal loopholes to speed up a proposal by a Turkish company and local empowerment partners to sail a small armada of “floating power stations” into South African harbours. While the red flag has been raised by environmentalists and law experts, the Turkish company involved insists that all protocols were being followed and that there was nothing irregular in applying for an environmental exemption during Covid-19.

Jeremy Ridl, a Durban specialist environmental attorney and former environmental law professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,  has warned that, if allowed, the abuse of this emergency clause during Covid-19 could carve open a new legal loophole for many developers to evade the need for any environmental impact assessments (EIA).

In response, the company involved has claimed that there was nothing irregular in obtaining the directive during Covid-19.

Turkish power ships are already deployed in several small, conflict-battered nations across the developing world, including Lebanon, where they supply up to 25% of that country’s electricity. Burning extremely flammable liquified natural gas or heavy shipping oil, the floating generators are hooked up to land-based power pylons and substations to feed electricity into the national grid.

Two such power ships – fortunately, moored several kilometres from central Beirut – escaped catastrophe on 4 August following the explosion of ammonium nitrate that killed more than 170  people and blasted a massive chunk of the city’s main harbour.

The mobile power station concept was developed about 10 years ago by Karpowership, an affiliate of the Istanbul-based Karadeniz Energy Group. The company owns more than 20 power ships capable of generating about 3,000MW of electricity.

After landing contracts in 13 countries such as Iraq, Cuba, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Sudan, the Turkish sales team turned their sights on South Africa some years back and have worked more recently to bag a lucrative new contract from Eskom, via the Department of Minerals and Energy Resources (DMER).

Read more at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-08-13-proposal-for-turkish-company-to-anchor-floating-power-stations-off-sa-harbours-raises-alarm-bells/

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Speaker 1: Dr. Richard Cullen (BSc Physics, PhD Electrical Engineering) YOUTUBE: The EMF Inspector

Speaker 2: Dr. Dariusz Leszczynski (PhD Biochemistry, DSc Molecular Biology; retired) WEBSITE: https://betweenrockandhardplace.wordp…

Speaker 3: Barrister Raymond Broomhall LLB GDLP WEBSITE: https://emrlegaleducation.com

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The author states that this article was intended to summarize two main issues:

I) IoT as an increasing and cross topic market which will become a present reality closer to our daily lives;

II) IoT will be regulated and become an important concern in consumer product health and safety.

See the full article at the link above.

The post Internet of Things: The Global Regulatory Ecosystem and the Most Promising Smart Environments Part II appeared first on EMFSA.

Published on Mar 13, 2019

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Contributed by Brett West

The post Air Gap Technology: Hardwiring your iPhone or iPad appeared first on EMFSA.

Wireless technology in focus

by Brett West

Wireless Education explores our wireless technology in a series of Air Gap Technology articles. In our first article on Air Gap Defences, we explained the importance of providing a physical barrier against network intrusion attempts into our home network, plus the added health benefits of reduced microwave radiation exposure. In our second article, we evaluated Lightning to Ethernet adaptors to allow iPhones and iPads to connect to hardwired networks. This allows you to hardwire your iPhone and iPad so that you can access the Internet and your apps without having to have the Wi-Fi router on.

In this, our third article of the series, we evaluate an adaptor that is new to market and allows Windows and Android devices (with compatible chipsets) to connect directly to an Ethernet cable, via the existing USB-B port. In a nutshell, this allows you to hardwire your Windows and Android phone or tablet.

Hardwiring your Android or Windows devices to bypass wireless technology

After much research, we discovered the Plugable Micro USB B RJ45 ethernet adaptor. This adaptor allows the connection of a normally wireless Windows tablet (version 8.1 and 10 supported) plus many Android tablets and smartphones, to a secure network Ethernet cable.

In order to have the full security and health benefits, set the device to Flight/Airplane mode, and check that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is switched off. A major advantage is that it will provide a significantly faster and more stable connection than a normal Wi-Fi or Cellular link.

Many technical specialists are aware of the biological concerns around microwave radiation exposure levels from wireless devices. This adaptor allows the usage of phones and tablets without experiencing significant levels of microwave radiation from long-term exposure.

The system works for accessing the internet and texting. To make a phone call, use an app such as Skype or WhatsApp. The cable adaptor does not need external power. It runs directly from the Ethernet link between the Windows or Android device and the LAN network cable.

Modern day living is all about wireless and accessibility.  Devices have moved from wired to wireless to voice activated with the idea that we can tap into the Internet by just using the right voice command or key word. Whilst we love instant access, immediately available technology, little thought is given to whether this wireless technology is harmful. We may think these are good ideas, but it good for us and our children?

Why hardwiring is a sensible solution

Science and research is showing that long-term exposure to microwave radiation is linked to heart and brain cancers, infertility and increased instances of Electrosensitivity.

If you think this doesn’t affect you,then think about whether you have any wireless devices in your home like: smart phones, cordless telephones, wireless baby monitors or electronic tablets. Now think about if during the day you will use more than one of those devices at any given time. That’s increased exposure. All these devices emit microwave radiation.

Using any of these devices for more than 30 minutes in the day is considered long-term exposure.  For key information on protecting your home environment from excessive microwave radiation exposure, we suggest you undertake our unique Schools and Families Course. This online course covers the medically recommended best practice guidance for reducing risks and using safer technology solutions. It should take approximately 40 minutes to complete and costs less than a movie ticket.

For product compatibility see.

Disclaimer: Always check the manufacturer’s website to ensure that the adaptor is compatible with your device, that the port is compatible (correct) and that the operating system version is correct.

Wireless Education does not endorse or recommend products; however we continually seek to understand – and explain in simple language – all technology innovations that will reduce microwave radiation exposure levels.

Air Gap Technology: Hardwiring Android and Windows Tablets

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