{"id":91546,"date":"2025-11-28T17:49:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=91546"},"modified":"2025-11-28T17:50:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:50:22","slug":"experts-warn-of-dangers-in-ai-powered-childrens-toys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/experts-warn-of-dangers-in-ai-powered-childrens-toys\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts Warn of Dangers in AI-Powered Children&#8217;s Toys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>AI-powered children&#8217;s toys have raised concerns among consumer protection groups due to potential threats. Activists have called for rigorous testing of such products, reports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/nov\/28\/artificial-intelligence-smart-toys\">The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIf we look at how these toys are marketed, how they function, and the fact that there is virtually no research proving their benefits or proper regulation, it is cause for serious concern,\u201d said Rachel Franz, director of Young Children Thrive Offline.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The project is an initiative of Fairplay, which focuses on protecting children from large tech corporations.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the consumer rights organization Public Interest Research Group (Pirg) published the results of a <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinterestnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TOYLAND-2025-11-14-7a.pdf\">study<\/a> in which an AI-powered teddy bear began discussing sexualized topics.<\/p>\n<p>The Kumma toy from FoloToy is equipped with an OpenAI model. It responded to \u201cadult\u201d questions, offering indecencies \u201cto strengthen relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-20638247219d64ef-10733804516996643-1024x647.png\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-270741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-20638247219d64ef-10733804516996643-1024x647.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-20638247219d64ef-10733804516996643-300x190.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-20638247219d64ef-10733804516996643-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-20638247219d64ef-10733804516996643.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kumma toy from FoloToy. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-11-26\/singapore-firm-s-ai-teddy-bear-back-on-sale-after-shock-sex-talk?srnd=phx-technology&#038;embedded-checkout=true\">Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t take much effort to get it to touch on all possible sexually explicit topics and other content that parents wouldn\u2019t want their children exposed to,\u201d said Teresa Murray, director of consumer oversight at Pirg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The smart toy market is valued at $16.7 billion. The industry is particularly developed in China, where more than 1,500 companies produce such AI gadgets.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the Shanghai startup FoloToy, the California-based company Curio also produces similar plush toys.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Curio &#038; Grimes Toy Launch!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f5rLMWzjDIg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In June, Mattel, the owner of the Barbie and Hot Wheels brands, announced a partnership with an American AI startup to \u201csupport AI-based products and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pirg Not the First<\/h2>\n<p>Before the release of the Pirg report, parents, researchers, and lawmakers had expressed concerns about the impact of bots on the mental health of minors.<\/p>\n<p>In October, <a href=\"http:\/\/character.ai\/\">Character.AI<\/a> announced a ban on access to its products for users under 18 after receiving a complaint that its bot exacerbated a teenager\u2019s depression and led to suicide.<\/p>\n<p>According to Murray, AI toys can be particularly dangerous because the bot can \u201cengage in free conversation with a child without restrictions.\u201d This significantly differentiates such products from those that provided pre-programmed responses.<\/p>\n<p>This behavior can lead to attachment formation and harm development, believes Jacqueline Woolley, director of the Children\u2019s Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n<p>For example, it might be beneficial for a child to quarrel with a real friend and learn to resolve conflicts. With AI bots, this is impossible\u2014they often flatter.<\/p>\n<p>Companies also collect data through AI toys and do not disclose how they manage it, said Franz.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cDue to the trust these gadgets inspire, children will more confidently share their innermost thoughts,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To Ban or Not to Ban<\/h2>\n<p>Despite existing issues, Pirg does not call for a ban on AI toys. They can be beneficial, for instance, in helping to learn a second language or capitals.<\/p>\n<p>The organization seeks to implement additional regulation for products aimed at children under 13.<\/p>\n<p>Franz emphasized the need for more independent research to establish the safety of toys. Until then, they should be removed from store shelves.<\/p>\n<p>Following the publication of the Pirg report, Sam Altman&#8217;s company announced a suspension of FoloToy sales. They were later resumed, but with a chatbot from ByteDance.<\/p>\n<p>On November 27, 80 organizations, including Fairplay, issued guidelines for families urging them not to purchase AI toys ahead of the holidays.<\/p>\n<p>In November, OpenAI <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/openai-introduces-shopping-research-in-chatgpt\">introduced a new feature<\/a> \u201cShopping Research\u201d in ChatGPT\u2014it conducts analysis for users to find suitable products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI-powered children&#8217;s toys have raised concerns among consumer protection groups due to potential threats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"AI toys raise consumer protection concerns.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[438],"class_list":["post-91546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-artificial-intelligence"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"150","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"AI toys raise consumer protection concerns.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91548,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91546\/revisions\/91548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}