Our children are just about getting over the fidget spinner craze, which is a good thing, in light of the many health and safety warnings that have been shared across the world.
Let’s just hope the latest toy craze revolving around the so-called ‘toothpick-crossbow’ doesn’t reach our shores in time for the summer holidays!
Feeling frightened? We certainly are!
Yep, according to reports this week, the handheld tooth-pick crossbow is the latest must-have gadget selling out in China.
The gadget does exactly what it says on the tin – it was designed to dispense toothpicks, handy for having around after a big lunch or a steak dinner! However, apparently the contraption has sky-rocketed in popularity, with children in China using them as toys.
I really hope my kids don't get wind of these weapons. BBC News - China cracks down on toothpick crossbow toys https://t.co/YhUhdyWrks
— chris lambie (@tophlambie) June 22, 2017
The next fidget spinner sounds lethal. China cracks down on toothpick crossbow toys https://t.co/VihYTLPd4I
— Mr M (@athole) June 22, 2017
Asia's toothpick crossbow fad is even worse than our fidget spinner fad https://t.co/7qpYX1VBVk pic.twitter.com/0a8uQCjsBV
— Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) June 22, 2017
It’s bad enough that these gadgets are retailing extremely cheaply; what worse, is that there are reports of people replacing the toothpicks (which are dangerous enough) with needles and even nails.
As you can imagine, this ‘toy’ craze is an accident waiting to happen, and parents are already calling for them to be banned amid serious health and safety fears.
The Guardian quoted a local newspaper, the Shanghai Daily, which reported: “The toothpick-crossbow toy has spread across China like wildfire among the nation’s primary and middle school children.
“The unusual shooting toy may be very small, but it is powerful enough to puncture a balloon and piece cardboard. And when the toothpick is swapped for a metal needle, it becomes a dangerous weapon.”
Parents now want sales of the gadget to be banned outright, so as to prevent future accidents which could result in very serious injury.
The news comes just weeks after a number of parents, from countries around the world, took to social media to warn of the dangers of the fidget spinner.
Texas woman Kelly Rose Joniec took to Facebook last month, to issue a warning about the choking hazards of the gadget.
She revealed that her 10-year-old daughter, Britton, had to be rushed to hospital after swallowing a ball bearing from her fidget spinner.
“Britton was taken to surgery to endoscopically locate and remove the object. Fortunately, we had a positive outcome, but it was pretty scary there for a while…not only because of the initial ingestion, but then the concern about the composition and structure of the object and, finally, the risk with general anaesthesia,” she wrote.
We don’t know about you, but we reckon these mini-crossbows look terrifying, and handing one over to a child sounds like the worst idea EVER!
