Latest news with #CuteCatKids'SunglassesUVProtection
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Major warning to parents over illegal sunglasses sold in UK that are ‘harmful to children' as 6 worst brands revealed
A MAJOR warning has been issued to parents over illegal sunglasses sold in the UK that are harmful to children. A third of the kids' sunglasses bought from online marketplaces including Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Temu can't provide the eye protection required and are unsafe for children to wear, new research revealed. 1 Researchers found the lenses on the Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses, bought from Amazon for £1.59, provide hardly any eye protection This can cause major eye problems for children later in life. Consumer watchdog Which? bought 20 pairs of sunglasses from six online marketplaces. It then put them through standard lab-based tests and stated that "UV test and compliance failures combined mean that none of the 20 pairs of sunglasses we tested from online marketplaces can be sold legally in the UK". The watchdog discovered two pairs let through too much On five pairs – including one with dangerously low UV protection – the watchdog found significant differences between the amount of protection provided by one lens compared to the other. On its website, Which? reported: "Good glasses have the same level of protection across both lenses. "And all the kids' sunglasses bought from marketplaces were missing key information, labels and markings required for them to be sold in the UK legally." Scots flock to park & beaches to bask in sizzling temperatures Researchers added: "The latest in our series of investigations into unsafe products shows why more needs to be done to prevent their sale through online marketplaces. Most read in The Sun "The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect online shoppers and to give online marketplaces clear legal responsibilities to keep dangerous products off their sites." Which? added that "the most important thing" that a pair of kids' sunglasses can do is to protect young and still-developing eyes from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. It went on to say: "But worryingly, two pairs bought from Amazon and eBay failed to effectively filter the sun's rays, despite both claiming to provide sufficient UV protection." "Children are exposed to more UV than adults, their eyes are still developing, and this increases the risk of UV damage. "Overexposure to UV over many years can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration." Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and Temu were approached for comment. Ones to look out for Of all the sunglasses the watchdog tested, the ones they were most concerned about were the first two in this list: Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses UV Protection, which cost £1.59 (bought from Amazon). Researchers noted the lenses let through between 19 and 22 times too much UVB, which means they're providing hardly any eye protection. Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400 £3.99. Researchers note that since their investigation began, this pair of glasses is no longer listed by the seller. But the eBay store they bought them from lists another 34 different models and claims more than 5,000 sales of sunglasses. Others tested by Which? included a heart-shaped pair of glasses bought from a seller on eBay (Retro Love Heart shape UV400, £2.83). The lenses aren't consistent in the way they filter UV. Another heart-shaped pair of glasses from eBay (Heart Pattern UV400, £5.28) has exactly the same problem. One lens filters more UV than the other. As light doesn't pass through the lenses evenly, this could lead make it uncomfortable for a child wearing them. A pair of kids' aviators on AliExpress (New fashion Pilot sunglasses for kids children, £1.16) were equally problematic. Researchers tested them twice, and they failed both times as the lenses let through different levels of UV. Which? also tested a cheap pair of kids' sunglasses from Temu (Trendy And Vibrant Glasses for Kids, £1) that couldn't consistently filter UV across both lenses.
South Wales Argus
16-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Third of sunglasses on Amazon and more pose child eye risk
Which? bought 20 pairs of sunglasses for children and found that the UV protection levels were 'dangerously low' for two of them, despite claims they offered full protection. One third of sunglasses sold on platforms like Amazon and eBay could damage child eysight The UV protection levels were found to be inconsistent in many of these specs (Image: Getty Images) Some sunglasses were also found to offer significantly different protection from one lens to the other. Several models including Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses UV Protection (£1.59 from Amazon), Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400 (£3.99 on eBay), Kids' Aviators (£1.16 from AliExpress), Kids £1 Sunglasses (from Temu) and red heart-shaped sunglasses (£5.28 from eBay) all made either misleading claims about their ability to block UV rays or had inconsistent UV filtering. All of the sunglasses tested were found to be missing key information, labels and markings, such as CE or UK Conformity Assessed markings (UKCA), which are required for them to be sold in the UK legally. Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: 'With summer holidays approaching, it is understandable that parents will want to buy their children sunglasses, and kids and parents alike might be tempted by some of the cheap and trendy options sold online. 'Our research shows many of these models are so ineffective as to be dangerous for children to wear and this is a consequence of online marketplaces having no real responsibility or incentive for taking safety seriously. 'The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill must be strengthened to include legal responsibilities for online marketplaces to ensure the products they sell on their sites are safe, with heavy fines for those that fall short of the required standards.' An Amazon spokesman said: 'Safety is a top priority, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. 'We continuously monitor our store and take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products and reaching out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information. 'The products in question have been removed." AliExpress also said it had removed the items that failed Which?'s tests, adding: 'AliExpress takes product safety very seriously and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.' A spokeswoman for eBay said: 'Consumer safety is a top priority. We proactively keep our site safe and prevent prohibited listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms for unsafe listings, and AI-supported monitoring by our team of in-house specialists. 'If we find an unsafe product, we remove it immediately and alert buyers, which is the exact approach we took on April 4 2025, before Which? contacted us.' Temu said: 'We take product safety very seriously. All three flagged listings have been removed from the platform pending further review.' Recommended Reading: TikTok said: 'The safety of our customers is of our utmost priority, and we have strict measures in place to ensure that our sellers comply with regulations and safety standards. 'These listings have been removed from our platform.' Shein said: 'We take product safety very seriously and are committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. We immediately removed the items from our site as a precaution while we investigate.'
Daily Record
16-06-2025
- Daily Record
'Unsafe' sunglasses pulled from Amazon, eBay and Temu
An investigation looked at 20 pairs, and found problems with each of them A third of children's sunglasses purchased from popular online marketplaces such as Amazon, AliExpress, Ebay, and Temu have been deemed unsafe due to insufficient protection, according to an investigation by Which?. The consumer watchdog bought 20 pairs of children's sunglasses, discovering that two pairs had "dangerously low" UV protection levels, despite claims of full protection. Furthermore, some pairs offered significantly different protection between lenses. Several models, including Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses UV Protection, Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400, Kids' Aviators, Kids £1 Sunglasses, and red heart-shaped sunglasses, made misleading claims about their UV-blocking abilities or had inconsistent UV filtering. None of the tested sunglasses met UK legal requirements, lacking essential information, labels, and markings like CE or UKCA markings, rendering them unfit for sale in the UK. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: "With summer holidays approaching, it is understandable that parents will want to buy their children sunglasses, and kids and parents alike might be tempted by some of the cheap and trendy options sold online. "Our research shows many of these models are so ineffective as to be dangerous for children to wear and this is a consequence of online marketplaces having no real responsibility or incentive for taking safety seriously. The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill must be strengthened to include legal responsibilities for online marketplaces to ensure the products they sell on their sites are safe, with heavy fines for those that fall short of the required standards." A representative from Amazon responded: "Safety is a top priority, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. We continuously monitor our store and take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products and reaching out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information." "The products in question have been removed." AliExpress also stated that it had taken down the items that did not pass Which?'s tests, and said: "AliExpress takes product safety very seriously and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.". An eBay spokesperson said: "Consumer safety is a top priority. We proactively keep our site safe and prevent prohibited listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms for unsafe listings, and AI-supported monitoring by our team of in-house specialists. If we find an unsafe product, we remove it immediately and alert buyers, which is the exact approach we took on April 4 2025, before Which? contacted us." Temu said: "We take product safety very seriously. All three flagged listings have been removed from the platform pending further review." A TikTok representative added: "The safety of our customers is of our utmost priority, and we have strict measures in place to ensure that our sellers comply with regulations and safety standards. These listings have been removed from our platform." Shein said: "We take product safety very seriously and are committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. We immediately removed the items from our site as a precaution while we investigate."
Powys County Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Third of sunglasses on Amazon and more pose child eye risk
One third of sunglasses sold on platforms like Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and Shein pose an eyesight risk to children, according to research carried out by a trusted consumer watchdog. Which? bought 20 pairs of sunglasses for children and found that the UV protection levels were 'dangerously low' for two of them, despite claims they offered full protection. One third of sunglasses sold on platforms like Amazon and eBay could damage child eysight Some sunglasses were also found to offer significantly different protection from one lens to the other. Several models including Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses UV Protection (£1.59 from Amazon), Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400 (£3.99 on eBay), Kids' Aviators (£1.16 from AliExpress), Kids £1 Sunglasses (from Temu) and red heart-shaped sunglasses (£5.28 from eBay) all made either misleading claims about their ability to block UV rays or had inconsistent UV filtering. All of the sunglasses tested were found to be missing key information, labels and markings, such as CE or UK Conformity Assessed markings (UKCA), which are required for them to be sold in the UK legally. Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: 'With summer holidays approaching, it is understandable that parents will want to buy their children sunglasses, and kids and parents alike might be tempted by some of the cheap and trendy options sold online. 'Our research shows many of these models are so ineffective as to be dangerous for children to wear and this is a consequence of online marketplaces having no real responsibility or incentive for taking safety seriously. 'The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill must be strengthened to include legal responsibilities for online marketplaces to ensure the products they sell on their sites are safe, with heavy fines for those that fall short of the required standards.' An Amazon spokesman said: 'Safety is a top priority, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. 'We continuously monitor our store and take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products and reaching out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information. 'The products in question have been removed." AliExpress also said it had removed the items that failed Which?'s tests, adding: 'AliExpress takes product safety very seriously and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.' A spokeswoman for eBay said: 'Consumer safety is a top priority. We proactively keep our site safe and prevent prohibited listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms for unsafe listings, and AI-supported monitoring by our team of in-house specialists. 'If we find an unsafe product, we remove it immediately and alert buyers, which is the exact approach we took on April 4 2025, before Which? contacted us.' Temu said: 'We take product safety very seriously. All three flagged listings have been removed from the platform pending further review.' TikTok said: 'The safety of our customers is of our utmost priority, and we have strict measures in place to ensure that our sellers comply with regulations and safety standards. 'These listings have been removed from our platform.'
Wales Online
16-06-2025
- Wales Online
Parents warned third of sunglasses sold on sites like Amazon and Ebay 'unsafe'
Parents warned third of sunglasses sold on sites like Amazon and Ebay 'unsafe' Consumer watchdogs found misleading claims and 'dangerously low' protection All of the sunglasses tested were found to be missing key information A third of children's sunglasses bought from online marketplaces including Amazon, AliExpress, Ebay and Temu do not provide the required protection and are unsafe, according to a Which? investigation. Which? researchers bought 20 pairs of children's sunglasses from online marketplaces, finding UV protection levels were 'dangerously low' for two of them, despite claims they offered full protection. Some offered significantly different protection from one lens to the other. Several models including Cute Cat Kids' Sunglasses UV Protection (£1.59 from Amazon), Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400 (£3.99 on eBay), Kids' Aviators (£1.16 from AliExpress), Kids £1 Sunglasses (from Temu) and red heart-shaped sunglasses (£5.28 from eBay) all made either misleading claims about their ability to block UV rays or had inconsistent UV filtering. All of the sunglasses tested were found to be missing key information, labels and markings, such as CE or UK Conformity Assessed markings (UKCA), which are required for them to be sold in the UK legally. As a result, none of the 20 pairs of sunglasses bought from online marketplaces could be sold legally in the UK, Which? said. Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: 'With summer holidays approaching, it is understandable that parents will want to buy their children sunglasses, and kids and parents alike might be tempted by some of the cheap and trendy options sold online. Our research shows many of these models are so ineffective as to be dangerous for children to wear and this is a consequence of online marketplaces having no real responsibility or incentive for taking safety seriously. 'The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill must be strengthened to include legal responsibilities for online marketplaces to ensure the products they sell on their sites are safe, with heavy fines for those that fall short of the required standards.' Article continues below An Amazon spokesman said: 'Safety is a top priority, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. We continuously monitor our store and take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products and reaching out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information. 'The products in question have been removed. AliExpress also said it had removed the items that failed Which?'s tests, adding: 'AliExpress takes product safety very seriously and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.' A spokeswoman for eBay said: 'Consumer safety is a top priority. We proactively keep our site safe and prevent prohibited listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms for unsafe listings, and AI-supported monitoring by our team of in-house specialists. If we find an unsafe product, we remove it immediately and alert buyers, which is the exact approach we took on April 4 2025, before Which? contacted us.' Article continues below Temu said: 'We take product safety very seriously. All three flagged listings have been removed from the platform pending further review.' TikTok said: 'The safety of our customers is of our utmost priority, and we have strict measures in place to ensure that our sellers comply with regulations and safety standards. These listings have been removed from our platform.' Shein said: 'We take product safety very seriously and are committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. We immediately removed the items from our site as a precaution while we investigate.'
