Limited review of the toys containing magnets mandatory safety standard

This page provides background information about the questions in this survey. You can save your answers and come back to this page at any time when completing this survey.

About the toys containing magnets mandatory standard

The mandatory standard was first introduced in 2010 to reduce the risk of serious injury or death from children ingesting small high-powered magnets or magnetic components supplied with children’s toys.

The mandatory standard covers requirements for design, construction, testing and information labelling. It was last updated in 2020 and references now outdated versions of the voluntary Australian, international, European and US standards.

Permanent ban on small high-powered magnets

In 2012, following the death of a toddler who swallowed multiple small high-powered magnets, the Minister imposed a permanent ban on small, high-powered magnets that are loose or separable (that is, they are not part of a wider toy set).

This ban is distinct from the mandatory standard as it has a narrow focus on separable or loose magnetic objects supplied in multiples of two or more where the magnetic objects are, intended for use as, a toy, game or puzzle (including but not limited to an adult desk toy, an educational toy or game, a toy, game or puzzle for mental stimulation or stress relief), a construction or modelling kit, or jewellery to be worn in or around the mouth or nose.

This limited review is focused on updates to the mandatory standard and will not consider changes to the permanent ban on small high-powered magnets.

Referenced voluntary standards

The mandatory standard was last updated in 2020 and references the following 4 standards:

• Australian and New Zealand standard: AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2019 Safety of toys Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties (direct adoption of the voluntary international standard)
  • clause 4.1 and 4.31 (with modifications)
• International standard: ISO 8124-1:2018 Safety of toys – Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties
  • clause 4.1 and 4.31 (with modifications)
• European standard: EN 71-1:2014+A1:2018 Safety of toys - Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties
  • clause 4.23
• US standard: ASTM F963-17 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety
  • clause 4.38
  • clause 8.5 and 8.9 (with modifications)

Each of these voluntary standards have been updated to newer versions. Updates to the voluntary standards are discussed in further detail below.

Find out more about the mandatory standard on the ACCC Product Safety website.

Consultation issues

Retain the current mandatory safety standard (maintain the status quo)

If the status quo is maintained, there would be no change to the mandatory standard, and it would continue to reference the outdated voluntary standards listed above. These voluntary standards have been superseded.

Maintaining the status quo would mean that the mandatory standard would not reference the latest voluntary Australian, international and overseas standards. Maintaining reference to the outdated versions presents future risks if requirements change and the updated versions are not adopted as compliance options. Under this scenario, businesses may be required to conduct additional testing to demonstrate compliance with the superseded versions referenced in the mandatory standard.

Referencing the updated voluntary standards as compliance options

We are consulting to determine the suitability of referencing the following updated versions of the voluntary Australian, international and overseas standards before making a recommendation to the Minister:

• Australian and New Zealand standard: AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2023 Safety of toys Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties
• International standard: ISO 8124-1:2022/Amd 1:2025 Safety of toys – Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties
• European standard: EN 71-1:2026 Safety of toys - Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties
• US standard: ASTM F963-23 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety.

Each of these updated voluntary standards have identical requirements for magnets and magnetic components in toys to their individual predecessors. We are seeking stakeholder views on whether to continue to reference the relevant clauses as those currently referenced in the mandatory standard, from each of these updated voluntary standards.

Allowing mandatory standards to be dynamic

Mandatory standards can reference one or more voluntary standards. Voluntary standards are updated from time-to-time. Ordinarily, a mandatory standard would reference only the version of the voluntary standard that was in place when the reference was introduced into the mandatory standard.

Dynamic referencing means that the mandatory standard references a voluntary standard as it exists from time-to-time. This will allow updates to the referenced voluntary standard to flow through to the mandatory standard, keeping pace with global product safety developments.

We propose allowing a 6-month review period from the time an update to a referenced voluntary standard is published before any updates take effect in the mandatory standard. During this time, the ACCC will review these updates to ensure they are appropriate.

We can recommend to the Minister to stop an update to a voluntary standard taking effect in the mandatory standard, where necessary.

Transition periods

Appropriate transition periods in the mandatory standard allow for:

• changes arising from this review to take effect
• superseded versions of the referenced standards remaining as compliance options for a specified time.

Transition periods allow businesses to:

• sell existing stock
• make manufacturing and design changes
• undertake testing to ensure compliance with an updated standard.