Do Toy Companies Really Care about Children? Evaluating the Ethics of the Toy Industry

Abstract

Play is an essential ingredient of child development and traditional toys and games contribute considerably to encouraging healthy and safe play. The toy industry, like others targeting children directly, is under careful scrutiny to act responsibly in view of child vulnerability and attracts regular criticism about unsuitable products, promotional tactics, the encouraging of pestering, and its contribution to the peer pressure culture. But is this justified? Based on qualitative interview data gained from senior managers in leading UK-based toy companies and focus groups of parents, this paper objectively examines the key ethical issues in the traditional toy industry, assesses the moral responsibilities of toy companies and influences on them to care about children, and examines the evidence and claims of the industry. The findings highlight that care for children forms the core of many toy companies' values statements and there is evidence of caring in their attention to safety, product design and development, and to disadvantaged children. It is also evident, however,,that in a challenging and competitive marketplace, companies are facing a difficult balancing act between doing 'what is right' and doing 'what works'. Despite the worthy practice in some areas, the pressure on profits is leading some toy companies to pursue questionable tactics.