Fidget spinners are toys that were advertised to improve focus and concentration in children with ADHD, autism, and anxiety. Instead, they are the newest distracting toy craze for kids and adults worldwide.
The handheld gadgets are made of either metal or plastic, with a ball-bearing at the center and multiple flat lobes that twirl around the axis.
As the popularity of fidget-spinners has skyrocketed, manufacturers have started selling high-tech Bluetooth-enabled spinners with LED lights and onboard speakers that play music from your smartphone.
They run on lithium-ion batteries and must be charged up to work. The problem is the batteries can explode violently into flames when the fidget-spinner is damaged or overheated.
Two fidget-spinner fires and explosions have been reported — one in Michigan and another in Alabama. In both cases, the spinners were plugged in to charge and the batteries overheated and caught on fire.
Michelle Carr said her fidget spinner caught on fire after less than 30 minutes of charging with the same cord she used for her baby monitor.
A similar case was reported in Alabama by Kimberly Allums, who said she heard her son screaming and found his fidget spinner on fire after it had been charging for 45 minutes. She threw it in the sink to extinguish the fire, but worries it might have burned the house down.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has already issued warnings against leaving young children with fidget spinners after reports of choking on parts that came loose. The CPSC also recommends only charging fidget spinners with the cord it came with.
Source: Warning over Bluetooth fidget spinners as children’s toys burst into flames