Kmart recalled its popular "ANKO Kids Digital Watch" over safety concerns that may cause serious injury to children.
At first glance, the ANKO digital watch looks a lot like an Apple Watch. It has a rubber wristband and a glass face, which resembles the screens on smartwatches today. Despite the similar design, it is essentially a stylish digital watch for young minds, with serious safety concerns.
HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 03: Customers take the opportunity to shop at KMart on November 03, 2021, in Hamilton, New Zealand. COVID-19 restrictions have eased slightly for people in Waikato as the region moves to Alert Level 3, Step 2. As of 11:59 pm on Tuesday, under Alert Level 3, Step 2 settings, outdoor gatherings can increase to 25. Public facilities, such as libraries, museums, and retail, can open with mask-wearing, contact tracing, and physical distancing.
Kmart Recalls ANKO Kids Digital Watch
According to a report by Canberra Times Australia, the popular retailer Kmart has already warned parents to "immediately" place the digital watch out of reach of young minds.
The retailer now encourages its users to return the digital watch to any Kmart of Khub store near them as soon as possible.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, shortly known as ACCC, reportedly said that the watch for children failed to comply with the safety standards of the regulatory commission. And as such, the children's watch, widely sold at Kmart, turned out to be a choking hazard due to its batteries. 9News Australia reports that the battery of the watch easily falls off due to an issue in its wonky build.
The recall notice disclosed that "the battery compartment is not adequately secured, so button batteries may be accessible."
And because of this, the battery could potentially fall off anytime. Once it goes out of its case, young minds might end up swallowing it, which brings an alarming risk of choking, among other safety concerns. Besides potentially choking children, the digital watch might also cause "severe internal burn injuries or death to young children if they gain access to the button batteries and ingest them."
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Which models are affected by the recall?
The ACCC says that those who previously bought the digital watch should return the item to Kmart or Khub to get their hands on a full refund.
Some might wonder if the ANKO watch they bought for their child is part of the recall. The Australian Commission says the safety issue affects models bought from October 1, 2022, until April 17, 2023. The watches sold during this period are now part of the recent recall, urging parents to keep them away from their children.
The ACCC typically recalls products sold to the public that have safety concerns. This time, the latest recalls crucially involve a digital watch meant for young minds. The janky battery cover increased the risk of kids swallowing its small battery, which could alarmingly cause fatal internal burn injuries.
The recall gives previous buyers of the affected digital watch a full refund once they bring it back to the nearest Kmart or Khub store. In other words, they could get their money back in full after returning the choking hazard.
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