SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

Certification Is Not an Afterthought

A product that works in a prototype can still fail certification — and for anything sold to or used by children, that's not a delay. It's a legal requirement.

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We're not a testing lab and we don't issue certifications ourselves. We help you figure out which ones apply to your product, and coordinate testing with accredited third-party labs before you commit to a production run.

The first question that decides everything

Is your product marketed to children, or to adults and general consumers? These two paths require different certifications, and the answer changes almost everything below.

CHILDREN'S PRODUCT

Toy safety standards apply — ASTM F963 in the US, the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71 series in the EU — on top of general electronics requirements.

GENERAL CONSUMER

No toy-specific certification is required. General consumer product safety, wireless certification, battery safety, and data privacy rules still apply.

United States

For a children's connected AI companion product.

US · REQUIRED
CPSIA

Base legal framework for children's products — lead limits, phthalate limits, tracking labels.

US · REQUIRED
ASTM F963-23

Core toy safety standard: mechanical/physical, flammability, electrical safety, heavy metals.

US · REQUIRED
CPC / GCC

Certificate of compliance issued after third-party lab testing confirms the product meets applicable standards.

US · CONDITIONAL
Reese's Law (16 CFR 1263)

Applies if the product uses button or coin batteries. Often exempt if battery compartment already meets ASTM F963 requirements.

US · REQUIRED
FCC Certification

Applies to any product with Bluetooth or WiFi — a general RF requirement, independent of toy status.

US · REQUIRED
COPPA

Applies if the product collects voice or usage data from children under 13 and sends it to the cloud.

European Union

For a children's connected AI companion product.

EU · REQUIRED
Toy Safety Directive + EN 71

Current standard: mechanical/physical, flammability, chemical migration, plus electronic/sound sub-parts where relevant.

EU · REQUIRED
CE Marking + DoC

CE mark and EU Declaration of Conformity; some cases require Notified Body type-examination.

EU · IN TRANSITION (2030)
Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509

Published Dec 2025, mandatory from Aug 1, 2030. Introduces a Digital Product Passport and tighter PFAS limits. Current directive still applies until then.

EU · REQUIRED
RED Directive

Radio Equipment Directive — required for wireless connectivity, typically processed alongside CE marking.

EU · REQUIRED
GDPR

Applies to voice and behavioral data collection, with stricter rules where children's data is involved.

EU · IN EFFECT (2025)
AI Act, Article 5(1)(b)

Prohibits AI systems that exploit age-related vulnerabilities in ways likely to cause significant harm — directly relevant to AI companion toys.

EU · CONDITIONAL
Cyber Resilience Act

Cybersecurity requirements for connected products; likely applicable given cloud connectivity and voice data.

Why this isn't a formality

Connected products aimed at children have been pulled from markets before over data and safety concerns discovered after launch. Certification exists to catch these issues before a product ships, not after.

Not sure which of these apply to your product?

Tell us your target market, age group, and whether the product connects to the internet — we'll tell you what's actually required.

Talk to us