Fidget Spinners Named Among Possible Summer Hazards For Kids

BOSTON (WWJ/AP) - Thinking of getting your kid the wildly popular fidget spinner? A consumer watchdog group is warning parents to think again.

Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm said Wednesday in unveiling its annual summer safety report that the ubiquitous spinners, which the group says are currently being investigated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, can fall apart and the small pieces can create a choking hazard.

W.A.T.C.H. President Joan Siff in a news release issued this warning: "Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that a toy is safe simply because it is popular."

W.A.T.C.H. reported children in Texas and Oregon have been taken to hospitals recently after choking on fidget spinner pieces.

In Germany, customs officials seized 39 tons of spinners shipped from China before them could enter the country, announcing last week that the toys would be destroyed.

Although no fidget spinners have been seized or recalled in the U.S. as of yet, CBS News found that the toys have already been banned in 32 percent of 200 of largest U.S schools, including some in Michigan.

It should be noted that some of the toys do have choking warnings on the box and note they are not recommended for kids under three years old.

Also in its latest report, W.A.T.C.H. warned about the fire dangers posed by lithium batteries in hoverboards; the potential for blunt force injuries from plastic weapons based on superhero movies; and impact injuries from non-motorized scooters.

"It is a tragedy when a child dies but when that death could have been prevented it's inexcusable," Siff  said. "The on-going injuries and deaths associated with hoverboards continue to be a wakeup call that products should be tested before they reach consumers and not tested on consumers."

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.