Tru dat! There is a warning label attached to just about everything which I ignore mostly apart from using insect sprays as a flame thrower - isn't that the Aussie way to eliminate spiders and their webs?
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Parents in Australia Warned to Keep AirTags Away From Children Due to Battery Choking Hazard
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If people keep coming up with all these stupid "concerns", then Apple will want to avoid regulatory headaches and simply will not release similar products in the future. We won't have innovation anymore.
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The issue isn't that it is a choking hazard. The ACCC doesn't put out warnings on every small object out there. It's because swallowing coin batteries can be fatal. Within hours of swallowing one it can burn through tissue and often blood vessels and unless parents see their child doing it, by the time they notice their child is sick it may be too late.
Toddlers/babies that put things in their mouths aren't dumb or stupid. It's part of their development and shows they are curious and developing their senses. If your 7 year old is putting random things in their mouths then you've got a problem.
Toddlers/babies that put things in their mouths aren't dumb or stupid. It's part of their development and shows they are curious and developing their senses. If your 7 year old is putting random things in their mouths then you've got a problem.
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How disheartening to read the mean-spirited comments on this thread. One or two are probably just trolling, some clearly struggle with critical thinking, and some are obviously trying to be funny… either way, you all just come across like a bunch of jerks. When did we start putting corporations and consumer convenience above the safety of children? Put a bloody screw on the thing if that’s what it takes to secure the battery! I tell you, the ACCC is doing your beloved Apple a favour by putting pressure on them before someone gets hurt. (Let the downvotes come.)
You should probably look into the proper way to dispose of batteries in your locality. For instance, I save all manner up in an empty plastic jar (in a kitchen drawer) to take every other year to the electronics store who does disposal.
I think the whole thing is a choking hazard. It looks like a mint imperial or a giant M&M and is a very tempting shape for a kid to put in their mouth. By contrast the Tile is a big slab with no such appeal. I think the AirTag is the worst piece of industrial design in the history of Apple, obviously a company known for great design. A tag you can't directly attach to anything, jeez.
What a joke. First it was JB-Hifi and Office-works known to stock....um....batteries, paper clips, UBS drives, small pencil sharpeners, thumb tacks, and hundred of other toddler choking products without issue. Put one in a device with an Apple logo and mummy internet forums around the country lose their god damn minds. A nannystate is starting to look like a bastion of liberty over what ever this state enforced tyranny of middle-class whingeing we are devolving into.
It's not just a choking hazard, they can do nasty internal damage if swallowed.
healthblog.uofmhealth.org
But hey, call kids stupid and such, Apple should have made it a bit more child proof.
Look how easy it is to open, I can't think of many recently made items, powered by a button battery, this easy to open.
Beware, Tiny Batteries Can Cause Big Injury for Kids
Pediatric surgeon discusses what happens if you swallow a battery. See what to do if your kid swallowed a battery and learn more about button battery ingestion.
But hey, call kids stupid and such, Apple should have made it a bit more child proof.
Look how easy it is to open, I can't think of many recently made items, powered by a button battery, this easy to open.
I don't understand many of the negative reactions to this. Button cells can be extremely dangerous if swallowed. They can cause horrific injuries that are sometimes fatal.
Of course parents have a responsibility to supervise and protect their children, but I don't think that's an argument against designing safe products. Even if the AirTag is completely safe, increasing awareness of the risks of button cells is a good thing. If someone uses a product with button cells they will probably eventually replace them, which means they will have a packet of new cells and the old ones to dispose of.
FWIW I have an AirTag on my keyring, secure in a Belkin case. It's right next to a Tile Mate that I held off buying until my children were well past the age where they put random things in their mouth.
Of course parents have a responsibility to supervise and protect their children, but I don't think that's an argument against designing safe products. Even if the AirTag is completely safe, increasing awareness of the risks of button cells is a good thing. If someone uses a product with button cells they will probably eventually replace them, which means they will have a packet of new cells and the old ones to dispose of.
FWIW I have an AirTag on my keyring, secure in a Belkin case. It's right next to a Tile Mate that I held off buying until my children were well past the age where they put random things in their mouth.
You know every time one of you people berates parents and tiny kids for being unaware of choking risks of these things, you illustrate the point perfectly, because you are clearly unaware what the problem is, despite it being very well publicised, even in the news story and thread you are responding too. People can be stupid, but very often it’s the ones calling everyone else stupid who need the most assistance. See the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Yes, but the cases need to be designed for this. Even some of the key ring cases sold by Apple (like the Belkin key ring which I have) don’t prevent the battery door from popping open while it’s in the case!
I have some of the Duracell bitter-coated CR2032s and they have no problems in any of the devices I’ve used them in.
When I first saw the “dead baby” logo on them I thought “that seems distasteful, but whatever it takes to remind people of the danger I suppose”. Now I realise it’s actually a “baby screwing its eyes up at the bitter taste” logo 😂
I think @mw360 and I are on the same page, but for anyone who might not have read the whole thread - the issue is not that button cells are a choking hazard (at least no more than any similar sized object), it's that if a button cell becomes lodged somewhere a chemical reaction can cause corrosive tissue damage.
The video from Queensland Health that @Klyster shared in post #93 demonstrates the issue beautifully.
Here's a bit more information about what can happen:
I'm not trying to make comparisons between deaths and injuries from button cells and other household accidents, but due to the mechanism of injuries button cells pose a greater risk than similar sized objects like coins or hard candy.
It has nothing to do with altitude. Batteries do not become more prone to fire at higher altitude.
It’s just that a fire in an aircraft cargo hold can be catastrophic, so anything with even a tiny risk of catching fire is strictly regulated.
And the parents aren't doing that. Literally, how hard is it to keep an eye on your child? And then they wonder why this happens because this one isn't on Apple. It's on the parents.
Difficult one this. On the one hand I’m not a fan of over-legislating stuff, but on the other hand it’s tough to disregard the dangers that these batteries pose in general. Even just stored in original packaging in a drawer that kids can reach. So what’s the answer? There probably isn’t one. Personally I prefer just looking after stuff and not losing it, but that’s another conversation for another day…
It's been repeated about 80 times already on this thread, but swallowing a coin generally will not harm a kid. Mostly they just get pooped out. But swallowing a battery can cause life-threatening internal burns and death.
Garmin has had issues with the 'bitter batteries'.
Wahoo has had issues with the 'bitter batteries'.
Quarq has had issues with the 'bitter batteries'.
Some devices don't like that coating. It is non-conductive, and if the devices connections are on those areas, the device can give 'unexpected results'. At least Energized, so far, doesn't add anything to their batteries. 'So far'...
But my concern is, if the 'bitter taste' is too bitter, it could trigger a response that would cause immediate swallowing. I don't remember what it's called, but it happens as a reflex...