Each year thousands of manufacturers recalled potentially dangerous and deadly products. While systems in place to notify consumers of these issues have resulted in fewer deaths and injuries in recent years, a new report has found that companies aren’t using their power on social media to protect consumers.

ABC News reports that the latest Kids in Danger report [PDF] found that companies who use social media to promote their products to tens of thousands of “fans” aren’t harvesting that clout to notify consumers of recent recalls.

The consumer watchdog group says that while a majority of companies who have been involved in children’s product recalls have a Facebook page, less than a quarter of those companies actually use the social media site to pass on information about dangerous products.

Officials with the Consumer Product Safety Commission expressed concern for companies’ failure to alert consumers of recalls through social media back in November.

“I think some of them are certainly putting far more effort into sales than they are on the recall side. We definitely see that,” Elliot Kaye, head of the CPSC, told ABC News at the time. “What we see is there’s a quick hit on the recall side, it’s relatively narrow. They don’t use all their resources. They don’t use all their creativity. They don’t use all their social media channels to be able to do this, and that’s what we’re asking for.”

While there is no specific requirement under federal law regarding the effort manufacturers must put into recalls, several groups promote “best practices” that include social media outreach.

Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association said in a statement to ABC News that it urges the 250 companies it represents to engage on social media.

Still, officials with Kids in Danger say that the percentage of faulty products that are properly returned under the current recall system is extremely low.

In fact, the report found that almost 80% of most recalled children’s products remain in consumers’ possession.

“It’s a continuing struggle,” Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger, told ABC News. “The Internet is a slippery place to try to find people selling things.”

Manufacturers Fail to Use Social Media for Recall Safety, Report Says [ABC News]

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