Sam Goldwasser wrote in
:

As long as they keep it away from anyone's eyes, it is safe.
It's less tha 1/200th of a W.


I work at a CO2 laser company where I work with Class IIIa HeNe (red laser)
pointers that shows where the invisible CO2 beam is. They're about 10-30x
more powerful than that one your kids were using. It is not harmful to the
skin.

BUT

An AAA battery powered pointer will hurt an eye, if it is purposefully
shined on it. I don't differentiate class 1, 2 or 3 lasers when it comes
to my eyesight.

Eyesight is too important to let the FDA decide how long a laser can be
shot into an eye before it is damaged. Plus you don't know exactly what
laser you have.

http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/~heroje/574/lasersafety.htm

Dave