Press Releases

WASHINGTON—U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) today celebrated the announcement that Amazon, Walmart, Target, Etsy, and Alibaba have committed to stop selling water bead products marketed to kids by the end of the year. The move comes following a push from Pettersen alongside Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Robin Kelly (IL-02) to ban these colorful, water-absorbing balls that are sold as children’s toys and often look like candy. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they are a danger to young children and can be deadly if swallowed.

On November 28, 2023 the Representatives introduced the Ban Water Beads Act, legislation to ban water beads marketed for kids. 

“As the mom of a toddler, dangerous toys that look fun but actually have harmful–or even deadly–consequences are my nightmare,” said Pettersen. “I can’t imagine what the parents of kids who ingested these water beads are going through, and we cannot allow this product to continue harming children in Colorado or anywhere in the U.S. Today’s announcement is a huge step in the right direction as several stores have joined our call and committed to remove water beads from the shelves. In some stores this will not go into effect immediately, though, so I still urge parents to be wary when shopping for toys this holiday season.”

Ahead of this announcement, the CPSC received heartbreaking stories from parents whose children ingested water beads and suffered severe consequences, including grave internal injuries, lifelong health impacts, and tragic deaths. When swallowed by children, water beads can quickly absorb bodily fluids and swell to block intestines or cause other injuries. According to estimates, children ingesting water beads resulted in 7,800 emergency room visits between 2016 and 2022.

According to reporting from Consumer Reports, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Etsy, and Alibaba are all taking steps to remove water beads from their shelves this month or banning the sale of water beads on their platforms. Ebay announced that they have been prohibiting water beads from being sold as toys for the past several years.