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I think two important factors might be how obvious the danger is and how useful the object is. A kitchen knife is obviously dangerous and also extremely useful,
by CobrastanJorji 4y ago
I think two important factors might be how obvious the danger is and how useful the object is. A kitchen knife is obviously dangerous and also extremely useful, so it definitely passes both tests. A magnet toy does not appear remotely dangerous but serves little practical purpose, so it fails both tests. A laser pointer's danger is medium-obvious and laser pointers are at least a little useful, so it's sort of in between the two extremes.
If "small magnets are super dangerous to kids" was general knowledge, it'd probably make the magnets significantly safer to sell.
- etrautmann 4y agoWhy is entertainment or stress relief not a valid purpose?
- madelyn 4y agoHow many other toddler-safe devices are useful substitutes for stress relief or entertainment? Now how many toddler-safe alternatives to a knife are there for dicing vegetables?
- willcipriano 4y agoWhy is your toddler in my house?
- morelisp 4y agoTabletop game hobbyists would strongly disagree about tiny magnets having no practical purpose. It's not clear if I'd be able to keep buying the 0.5mm-1mm magnets I regularly use under these rules.
- CobrastanJorji 4y agoAlso a good point: what purpose they are being sold for. Magnets for crafting purposes are clearly very useful. I've got a drawer full of various sizes of such magnets myself (because every maker on Thingiverse seems determined to discover a unique new size of tiny magnet). But crafting tools are often dangerous and aren't intended as toys to be left in the open. Crafters with kids are already well aware that leaving crafting supplies near children will always end in disaster.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- pxmpxm 4y ago>I think two important factors might be how obvious the danger is and how useful the object is. How dangerous-to-kids something is entirely irrelevant in every situations where there are no kids. You could ban parents from possessing high power magnets, but that will just go directly into willcipriano's point below: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33723342 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33723342
- StrictDabbler 4y agoThis is not a standard for toys. This is a standard for non-toy products. There doesn't appear to be an exception for hobbyists or craftspeople. Acceptable uses are industrial, professional, educational... all corporate. Unacceptable uses are jewelry, entertainment, stress relief. This leaves hobbyists in a gray area. Woodworkers regularly use tiny, powerful magnets to secure drawers and slides. Electronic hobbyists use them in all kinds of ways. Do I have to establish an account with an industrial supplier to purchase these now? Or will I still be able to buy a hundred pack of tiny magnets as long as it doesn't say "fidget toy" on the amazon listing? How about small magnetic hooks? They're massively useful, many fit in the "small parts container", and magnetic strength is directly relevant to their utility.
- kragen 4y agoOn the contrary, the rulemaking specifically targets hobbyists; see my remarks above about jewelry-making sets. For the foreseeable future, you will probably still be able to buy a hundred-pack of tiny magnets on AliExpress because the seller will lie to evade shipping restrictions, as many do today to ship batteries, although the rulemaking points out that the existing restrictions have already convinced 80% of sellers to stop shipping to the US.