Apple AirTags Get Taken Off Shelves By Aussie Retailer Over Child Safety Worries
Image via Jack Skeens / Shutterstock.com
Australian tech retailer Officeworks has confirmed it has pulled Apple’s AirTags from its shelves till further notice, due to child safety concerns.
The decision was sparked by worries that children could easily access the AirTag’s cell battery. In order to remove the battery from the AirTag, a user has to press down on the stainless steel battery cover, before rotating counterclockwise until the cover lifts.
While Officeworks didn’t mention “children” or “safety” in a statement shared with Gizmodo Australia, Apple was more forthcoming.
“AirTag is designed to meet international child safety standards, including those in Australia, by requiring a two step push-and-turn mechanism to access the user-replaceable battery,” Apple wrote in an email response to the publication.
According to iDownloadBlog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it has been made aware of the safety concerns.
Prior to the AirTag’s launch, three children have died from swallowing tiny cell batteries since 2013, leading the ACCC to spotlight the issue. However, it has yet to address if it plans to pull the AirTags from shelves all over the country.
[via iDownloadBlog and Gizmodo Australia, cover image via Jack Skeens / Shutterstock.com]
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