Which? identifies 150 unsafe baby products on major UK online marketplaces, calls for stronger platform regulation

Unbiased summary

Consumer group Which? published an investigation identifying 150 baby products it considers potentially lethal, listed across seven major UK online marketplaces: Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop, and Wish. The products included self-feeding bottle props, sleep pillows, and sleeping bags previously flagged in safety alerts by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). Of the 150 items found, 54 were self-feeders, 21 were pillow bottle-holders, and 37 were sleep pillows. Nearly a quarter of products appeared on Amazon. Most platforms confirmed removal of flagged items; Wish did not respond. Which? is calling on the UK government to use powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to hold online marketplaces legally responsible for third-party product safety, backed by financial penalties.

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Coverage by outlet

The Guardian left

Angle Frames the story as a corporate accountability and regulatory failure issue, emphasising platform negligence and the need for government intervention.

Bias The Guardian gives prominent space to Which?'s critical quote targeting Amazon and eBay by name, reinforcing a narrative of corporate irresponsibility. It specifically highlights that Amazon accounted for nearly a quarter of dangerous listings while 'presenting itself as an industry leader,' adding an editorial edge not strictly warranted by the raw data. It also places strong emphasis on the legislative solution, framing regulation as an urgent necessity, which leans slightly beyond neutral reporting into advocacy territory.

Which? finds 150 potentially lethal baby products sold online

The Independent centre-left

Angle Presents a balanced informational account of the findings with mild consumer-protection framing, noting both platform failings and remedial responses.

Bias The Independent is the only outlet to explicitly note that most platforms confirmed removal of the flagged items and that Wish notably failed to respond — a factual nuance that adds balance absent in other outlets. It provides clear, measured explanations of the specific harms without excessive emotive language. It stays closest to the objective facts among the three outlets, though its consumer-watchdog framing still implicitly validates Which?'s narrative without independently scrutinising the methodology.

Warning as ‘potentially lethal’ baby products found listed on sites such as Amazon, eBay and TikTok shop

Daily Mail right

Angle Leads with emotive, alarm-driven language targeting parental fear, foregrounding vivid product descriptions over regulatory or corporate accountability context.

Bias The Daily Mail uses heightened emotional framing — 'smother and suffocate children,' 'end a baby's life' — that goes beyond the measured language of the Which? findings. It omits any mention of platform responses or product removals, and does not reference the Product Regulation and Metrology Act or the broader regulatory debate, which are central to the Which? report's purpose. It also conspicuously omits Alibaba, AliExpress, and OnBuy from its headline platform list, potentially skewing reader perception of where the products were found.

Urgent warning to new parents as experts discover baby products sold on Amazon, Etsy and TikTok Shop that can smother and suffocate children