EU Testing finds majority of radio-controlled toys fail interference standards
An EU-funded market surveillance campaign has found that 53 of 88 radio-controlled toys tested failed to meet EU requirements for signal interference. Organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), the testing covered products for children aged three to 14, including RC vehicles, boats, trains, walkie-talkies, smart toys, robots, electronic pets, music players, and speakers.
Spurious emissions and excessive radiated power
The main causes of non-compliance were spurious emissions and excessive radiated power, both of which can interfere with communication services, including those used for navigation and safety. In addition to laboratory testing, authorities assessed product warnings, markings, and instructions, finding that 61 samples failed to meet these requirements. Overall, 71 of the 88 products tested were found to be non-compliant.
Sourced from 13 countries
The toys were sourced from 13 countries, with two-thirds purchased online. Investigations are ongoing, with sales bans already imposed on 22 products and 58 non-compliant products listed in the EU’s Information and Communication System on Market Surveillance. The campaign was carried out under the 2025 Joint Actions on Compliance of Products (JACOP) programme.