The video “Properly Sizing Children’s Life Jackets” is part of a joint effort by the retailer and Coast Guard to counter swim vests and floaties improperly labeled as life jackets
Orlando, FL April 23, 2026 – Amazon, the world’s largest retailer, in April agreed to include consumer warning information about sellers on the site inaccurately describing flotation devices as U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, when they are not. The move comes at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard. The warning on Amazon’s consumer safety page includes a Water Sports Foundation video describing how to choose and properly size a child’s life jacket.
“Mislabeled online life-saving product listings, including false and erroneous claims, is a very dangerous situation,” said Jim Emmons, Executive Director of the Water Sports Foundation. “When purchasing life jackets, parents must be diligent to determine the device’s ability to protect their child from drowning. The label, found on the inside of the product, should be inspected carefully to ensure the device is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for the intended use.”
“If it’s not Coast Guard-approved, send it back and get one that is,” Emmons said.
The Water Sports Foundation first warned consumers in 2024 to beware of children’s swim aids misleadingly labeled as life jackets on major online retail sites, including Amazon. The WSF published a press release and article, When A Life Jacket Isn’t a Life Jacket, following a viral social media post. Allie Wojciak posted a short video to TikTok after she ordered what she thought was a Coast Guard-approved children’s life jacket for her infant, and instead received a “life jacket swim vest.” The label resembled a U.S. Coast Guard certification, but on closer inspection stated the vest “will not prevent drowning.”
In the advisory posted to Amazon’s consumer safety tips section, the retailer states that “Amazon is partnering with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to bring increased awareness to the importance of life jacket safety and keeping boaters of all ages safe on the water.” The Water Sports Foundation applauds Amazon for taking this important step.
In the United States, life jackets for boating are approved by the Coast Guard, assuring they meet certain specifications and have undergone rigorous testing. The vest Wojciak bought didn’t even pass spell check. “The first red flag is the word ‘intended’ is spelled wrong. It says, ‘intened use: swim vest for kids.’ It is not a life jacket,” Wojciak said in the TikTok post, which was shared more than 78,000 times.
Amazon isn’t the only online retailer offering swim vests in response to searches for life jackets. Google, Walmart, Target and others fail to make this critical distinction. That means parents should be especially vigilant when purchasing life jackets for their children.
Understanding Life Jacket Labels
The Coast Guard approval process ensures the product meets the demands of its performance claims. The process starts with rigorous standards for design, materials, construction, the amount of flotation the device provides, and the product’s intended use.
The Coast Guard categorizes life jackets by performance Type and/or performance Level.
- Level 50, 70, 100, 150
- Type I, II, III, V
Most kids in a supervised recreational boating situation will be best served by a Level 70 or Type III life jacket. With about 15 pounds of positive flotation, these life jackets are easy to put on, comfortable and, when properly sized, will keep a conscious child afloat with their head above the water until a parent or other rescuer can quickly swoop in.
The Coast Guard is transitioning away from the Type ratings, but you’ll still find plenty of new life jackets classified that way, and they’re perfectly fine as long as they are in good working condition. The important thing is that any life jacket you buy be Coast Guard approved.
Kids’ sizes are based on weight, with typical designations being infant (8 to 30 pounds), child (30 to 50 pounds) and youth (50 to 90 pounds). Avoid the temptation to give a child growing room by purchasing a jacket that is too large. A struggling child may sink out of it when in the water.
How Life Jackets Are Tested and Certified
Before large-scale manufacturing begins, device product samples are laboratory tested against the standards to ensure the design meets the product’s claims. Once a life jacket passes testing, the U.S. Coast Guard issues an approval number that must be printed on the inside of each device during manufacturing. The U.S. Coast Guard approval process also includes manufacturing spot checks to help ensure companies don’t cut corners after testing.
On its YouTube channel WSF Boating & Paddling Safety, the Water Sports Foundation has an informative video about new life jacket labeling, which includes details on the Coast Guard approval process, including an interview with a testing engineer from Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL), captured at the testing facility in North Carolina.
The Coast Guard’s new consumer safety page on Amazon is the first step toward more awareness of life jacket suppliers’ false and inaccurate claims.
FAQ:
How do I determine if a flotation device is U.S. Coast Guard-approved? Look on the inside of the device for the U.S. Coast Guard approval number, and if it’s not there, send the product back and get one that is U.S. Coast Guard-approved.
Where can I find more information about U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets and buoyancy aids? The U.S. Coast Guard provides the most reliable source of information regarding life jackets and buoyancy aids.
Where can I find more information about life jacket labels and the U.S. Coast Guard approval process? The Water Sports Foundation has valuable information on both its YouTube channel, WSF Boating & Paddling Safety, and its website WaterSportsFoundation.com.
Why was it important for the U.S. Coast Guard to have Amazon post a consumer safety page about life jacket labels? Amazon sellers provide product descriptions and while there is a strict, mandatory product compliance process requiring sellers to verify the accuracy of product descriptions, some water safety products, including life jackets and buoyancy aids, have appeared with misleading information. The Amazon consumer safety page can be viewed here: https://www.amazon.com/b?node=217100869011
For more information, contact info@watersportsfoundation.com.
About the Water Sports Foundation (WSF)
The Water Sports Foundation (WSF), the nonprofit arm of the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA), works to advance boating safety across the United States. The safety information in this press release is supported by a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. WSF has earned national recognition for its outreach efforts, including the 2016 NASBLA Innovations in Outreach Award, the 2021 Marine Marketers of America Neptune Award for Public Relations, and multiple International Boating and Water Safety Summit (IBWSS) Communication Awards. Its boating safety content has appeared in major national media outlets such as USA Today, the Miami Herald, the Weather Channel, and Men’s Journal. Learn more at watersportsfoundation.com.
