So far, President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tactic has proven remarkably successful. In February, the president won concessions from both Canada and Mexico, with both countries committing to heightened enforcement practices along the border in exchange for relief from proposed tariffs. But we now find ourselves facing new retaliatory tariffs as negotiations continue. While I appreciate the president’s efforts to move quickly, my hope is that industries like toys, which have long been seen as “essential,” will continue to be viewed that way and will not be subjected to any tariffs.
Toys are proven to be a fundamental piece of childhood development. However, the large majority of toys sold in the United States are manufactured in China and tariffs on those imports means parents will be paying significantly more for the same products they’ve grown to trust and their children have grown to love. With inflation still an issue for many Americans, families likely will forego shopping at their local toy stores in favor of unsanctioned online platforms that offer cheaper knockoff products, if they buy any new toys at all. Toys currently produced in China undergo strict safety protocols to ensure our children are safe from things like choking hazards and lead paint. Should these products become too expensive, the market is liable to be flooded with potentially unsafe and untested toys from websites like Temu.
However, parents who are unable to purchase toys due to rising costs also face other risks given how critical toys are for a variety of childhood developmental needs. The benefits of play cannot be understated, and as a father, grandfather, and education leader I’ve seen them firsthand. While many are familiar with a toy’s ability to help children fine-tune their motor skills, other toys help build emotional, social, cognitive, creative, and communication skills that are equally as important. During my time working with national education leaders in Washington, D.C., I learned from groups like Playworks and those studying the science of learning that children are constantly developing their cognitive skills as they explore new environments, and toys help this process by encouraging them to think and explore. Meanwhile, toys like paddles and doll carriages assist children in honing their physical dexterity, and similarly dolls and stuffed animals can help with social skills, as they are often used to represent people. Childhood trauma and mental health are serious challenges in our schools and for our families.
This is exactly why so many states from Texas to Massachusetts and around the country deemed these products essential through the pandemic, allowing domestic manufacturers to continue producing these vital developmental tools. Many educators advocated for the value of toys when it came to online learning. Whether it be building blocks for science, putty for art, or even cards and board games for math, it’s indisputable that toys help young people learn and grow as individuals. Without them, our children would struggle to build the skills necessary to succeed in life.
As the president continues to seek better trade deals that lower costs and secure commitments that keep our children safe from other threats like fentanyl, I hope he’ll consider exempting the toy industry. Toys pose little to no security risk when it comes to geopolitics, but the impact on American families could be massive if they’re pushed just out of reach. President Trump has expressed his willingness to exempt other essential industries, and I hope he’ll extend the same deference once more to toys to give American kids the chance to experience the enjoyment and vital development they so desperately deserve.
Dale Erquiaga is the former Nevada State Superintendent of Public Instruction and served as national president of Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest and most successful dropout prevention program.
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Image: Pexels/Polesie Toys
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
