The Kremlin fears the spinners, which have been banned by some schools Britain, America and France, are being used to brainwash children

Russia’s consumer protection agency has launched an investigation into the effect of fidget spinners on children’s health amid claims that they have been used to rouse opposition to President Putin. The agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said it would examine the “aggressively promoted” toys for “possible negative consequences”.

Fidget spinners usually have three or four arms that revolve around a central axis which can be held in the fingers. They were invented in the early 1990s but became a worldwide fad this year. The toys have been banned at some schools in Britain, America and France for disrupting lessons.

Rospotrebnadzor said spinners could be made from harmful materials that could come loose and shoppers should avoid those that gave off a “sharp chemical odour”.

Its investigation comes shortly