Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet_toys#United_S...
I have a set of Zen Magnets that I bought a decade ago. They're fun to play with, and I guess now illegal to manufacture.
I have a set of Zen Magnets that I bought a decade ago. They're fun to play with, and I guess now illegal to manufacture.
Does that justify banning such objects? Warning labels can help, but there's lots of "oh, I got that in college and threw away to box" or "it was owned by my 19 year old nephew who is staying in our spare bedroom" &c. so even if every parent reads and understands all the warning labels (already a fantasy), Y% will never be zero.
It's an amazing children's toy. The metal is beautiful as it flows around the glass. It will fit down a child's throat easily.
I can buy 30 grams for $61. Even better toy but you can only imagine how bad it will be if they drop the glass enclosure.
I can buy caltrops, throwing stars, matches... any number of objects that are more likely to injure a child than a magnet.
Dozens of children choke on bottle caps every year. Marbles are still a common toy available in every toy store.
There's literally nothing about magnets that makes banning them rational.
I have no children. I will never have children. Can I submit proof of sterility to buy magnets?
If "small magnets are super dangerous to kids" was general knowledge, it'd probably make the magnets significantly safer to sell.
There doesn't appear to be an exception for hobbyists or craftspeople. Acceptable uses are industrial, professional, educational... all corporate. Unacceptable uses are jewelry, entertainment, stress relief.
This leaves hobbyists in a gray area.
Woodworkers regularly use tiny, powerful magnets to secure drawers and slides. Electronic hobbyists use them in all kinds of ways.
Do I have to establish an account with an industrial supplier to purchase these now? Or will I still be able to buy a hundred pack of tiny magnets as long as it doesn't say "fidget toy" on the amazon listing?
How about small magnetic hooks? They're massively useful, many fit in the "small parts container", and magnetic strength is directly relevant to their utility.
For the foreseeable future, you will probably still be able to buy a hundred-pack of tiny magnets on AliExpress because the seller will lie to evade shipping restrictions, as many do today to ship batteries, although the rulemaking points out that the existing restrictions have already convinced 80% of sellers to stop shipping to the US.
How dangerous-to-kids something is entirely irrelevant in every situations where there are no kids. You could ban parents from possessing high power magnets, but that will just go directly into willcipriano's point below:
Now how many toddler-safe alternatives to a knife are there for dicing vegetables?