The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has raised concern with Apple that its new Bluetooth tracking device, AirTag, has an insecure battery compartment that can be accessed by children.
AirTag, launched in April, communicate with Apple devices to help locate items they are attached to.
The ACCC said in a statement that parents should keep AirTags away from children because they could easily remove the product's battery.
"The compartment's lid is not sufficiently closed on closing, and makes a sound, like a little ting, that alerts you to the battery cover being in place, when in fact it's not in place," ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
"We know that small children can be fascinated by keys and love playing with them, so there is a risk that they could access this product, which is designed to be attached to a key ring, among other things," she said.
Ms Rickard said Apple had included a battery warning label to AirTags' packaging after concerns were raised, but there were still issues with the product's battery safety.
"This alone does not address our fundamental concerns about children being able to access the button batteries in these devices," Ms Rickard said.
"Apple claims that it meets the international child safety standard, there are issues there around interpretation so we are continuing our discussion with them."
Some Australian retailers pulled AirTags from shelves last month and the ACCC said at least one overseas public safety regulator was examining the product.
The consumer watchdog said one child a month was seriously injured as a result of ingesting or inserting batteries.
"If swallowed, a button battery can get stuck in a child’s throat and cause a chemical reaction that burns through tissue, causing death or serious injury within a short amount of time," it said in a statement.
The ACCC is investigating whether there were issues with button battery safety in similar Bluetooth tracking devices.
