Thurman urges labels for ages on toy sites

By JIM ROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 22, 2000

The holiday season is a time to give gifts. But it also is a time for gift buyers to exercise caution.

That's why U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman, D-Dunnellon, has joined forces with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in urging toymakers to include safety age labels on their Web sites.

Thurman and the commission are responding to a report on toy safety issued last month. Among other things, the report called on toymakers to list safety information on the Web, just as they are legally required to do on packaging. Without such information, people buying gifts for children might buy an inappropriate toy.

Thurman said FAO Schwarz and Toysrus.com have set a good standard, one that she hopes other companies will copy. As more people choose to point and click on the Internet instead of roaming store aisles, Thurman wants to help alert consumers and encourage toymakers to update their Web pages.

"The swift and responsible steps taken by FAO Schwarz and Toysrus.com will help parents make better informed decisions about which toys are most appropriate for their children," Thurman said in prepared remarks.

In March 1993, during the first three months of her first term in Congress, Thurman was among the U.S. House members who voted to approve the Child Safety Protection Act which, among other things, requires manufacturers to place choking hazard warnings on toys intended for children ages 3 to 6.

President Clinton signed the bill in June 1994 and the law went into effect Jan. 1, 1995.

Thurman attended a news conference last month in Gainesville at which the Public Interest Research Group released its 15th annual Trouble in Toyland report.

The report (http://www.toy safety.net) lists dangerous toys that researchers found while browsing through stores in October and November.

The group, along with the consumer safety commission, has long been pushing retailers to include toy safety warnings on Web sites.

For the past two years, Thurman has been involved in public awareness campaigns designed to educate parents about toy safety.

Thurman also has said that, if necessary, she will help sponsor or support legislation that would require toy manufacturers to include the same safety information on Web sites that they are legally mandated to include on toy packaging.

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