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AirTag Removable Battery Sparks Child Safety Concerns
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Couldn’t agree more with you. But since it is stated in Australian law, they probably need to remove them from the shelf to prevent getting sued.
What’s the primary concern then? Your kid is so smart that they can actively remove a battery from an airtag but not smart enough to know not to eat said battery?
We have a first hand report in this thread that it can easily be done accidentally.
If you choke on a small object, you'll probably cough it up or swallow it... It happens to kids all the time and while scary, it's usually fine. Generally the risk is only an issue for objects perfectly shaped to get suck and fully block the airway - a sphere for example.
Swallowing one of these batteries isn't "fine". They need to be surgically removed, ideally within two hours and there are no short term symptoms. By the time they start feeling pain it could be too late to save their life even with surgery.
As far as I know the safety laws in Australia are currently under review, due to a recent spike in deaths. Just because AirTags are compliant now, doesn't mean they will be going forward.
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Can any car key be opened with a push and twist?
You’re joking, but it’s a universal truth that those who scream loudest about ”health and safety gone mad” are invariably those privileged with rude health, whose safety has been assured over the years by countless unseen interventions that have kept them protected. The many dead from entirely avoidable incidents aren’t here to give their opinion.
It’s also true that if any of those carping here had themselves or a loved one needlessly harmed through the negligence of Apple or anyone else, they would doubtless have some different things to say.
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If a kid got a hold of an AirTag that wasn't in a holder, they would probably swallow the whole Airtag rather than taking it apart and then swallowing the battery.
That being said, a redesign with a single tiny philips screw would be far far more secure.
That being said, a redesign with a single tiny philips screw would be far far more secure.
According to posion.org, two teaspoons every 10 minutes until the battery has been surgically removed. Maximum of six doses (but the surgery should have been completed within an hour - the hospital should make sure of that).
Honey has been proven to slow down the chemical reaction that kills kids who swallow these batteries.
its not hard, but you do have to use a fair amount of pressure in the right place while twisting it, kind of like a child safety lock on pill bottles.
I couldn't help but have this thought, too. The one time Apple does a removable battery, that's also a scandal?
How about some actual parenting? Some people really feel too entitled.
The primary concern is babies/kids swallowing the button cell battery inside the airtag. These batteries are extremely dangerous as has been outlined by many previous posters.
A kid doesn’t need to be smart to open an airtag. The mechanism (at least in mine) isn’t particularly stiff and I believe a child could easily open it by accident. Another poster commented that theirs opened multiple times just trying to put it into the case.
So a child dumb enough to swallow the battery is definitely able to open the airtag.
The amount of people in this thread who aren’t reading the content is amazing.
I’m bowing out of this thread now. My point has been said and no further clarification is going to help those who can’t/won’t read previous replies.
This type of article bothers me. When Apple uses non-replaceable batteries they are criticized as being anti-consumer and then when they have a removal battery (a size where Duracell and others sell bitter taste batteries to help protect children) they get criticized for not thinking of the children. Can’t please everyone I guess, but this type of reporting makes me nervous that it’ll drive Apple to not repeat user-replaceable batteries.
You have your opinion that is fine. I have 3 kids, I know the risks around the home. I am sure those without kids understand them just as much. Australia has concerns, that is fine they can make whatever decision they want.
It does not change the point that there are many dangers around the home that need to be monitored. Everyone in this thread can walk around right now and find dangers, some they perhaps had not thought about.
There is a simple rule for anything that involves a risk to children. Keep those items out of reach. Parenting 101.
Unfortunately, kids under 3 can't yet read or comprehend the safety warnings. And adults, despite the best of intentions, can be careless with keys and things and will leave them lying around. After all, that's the whole reason that AirTags exist in the first place.
Yes, it does seem like a poor design that the AirTag's battery door can come undone so easily. In fact it has already come apart on its own while in my pocket:
AirTag came apart in my pocket
AirTag design flaw? It seems like the battery cover comes off much too easily! When I got home this evening and reached into my pocket for my keys, I found the AirTag battery cover and its battery had detached themselves.
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Someone who is not smart enough to understand that such electronic devices are not suitable for under 3's and need warning signs to become aware, probably shouldn't be trusted to rise children.