TOY SAFETY AWARENESS AND SUSTAINABLE TOY PREFERENCES AMONG INDIAN PARENTS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

In the age when environmental sustainability and the well-being of children are becoming more of a priority, the safety and environmental friendliness of toys become an issue that parents are concerned about. The research behind this quantitative research paper examines the extent to which Indian parents understand the current standards of toy safety and the preferences of parents towards sustainable materials in toys. The survey involved the use of a structured survey program online amongselected respondents, which collected demographic information (age, gender-related questions, safety-checking behaviours, materials). This research also examines the Awareness of Indian parents about toy safety and regulations. The objectives of this study are to focus on the choice of different shapes of toys, the material of the toys (wooden, plastic, metallic, terracotta, fabric),to ensure that these are chemical-free or biodegradable. As per the health guidelines, do they check the hygiene and physical quality of toys before buying, and are they careful about environment-friendly toys?  The mentality of Donation-Acceptance of reused toys.SPSS methodology allows recognizing measurable patterns and associations between demographic groups on the pages of SPSS-like statistical procedures. Chi-square tests were used tounderstand the correlation between the socio-economic status and the tendency to check the safety of toys as well as the correlation between age category and preference in materials. The results indicate a prominent awareness-action gap in parental awareness regarding Indian parenting practices and suggest the necessity of awareness measures being raised, enhanced labelling policies, and marketing sustainable types of toys in the market, corresponding to current safety standards.