Experts Provide AI Toy Buying Advice to Parents

AI-enabled toys are zooming into holiday gift lists, but child-safety groups and researchers urge families to pause for a hard think before buying. In recent tests, one result involved an interactive teddy bear whose dialogue became sexualized, leading its maker to halt sales and the underlying AI provider to limit access. And that episode is symptomatic of a larger truth: AI toys are unpredictable and the guardrails differ wildly by brand.

What’s Special and Potentially Risky About AI Toys

Traditional toy safety standards are designed to address choking risks, chemicals and sharp edges. Generative AI adds another layer: language and behavior. The majority of AI toys use large language models that combine responses derived from enormous amounts of training data. There is no U.S. standard for AI behavior in toys, and following current toy standards or app store guidelines does not ensure age-appropriate conversation.

That regulatory lacuna places parents in the position of having to assess how a toy is thinking, not just how it’s put together. It also means two toys that look nearly identical may provide very different experiences to the end users, depending on filtering, model types and configurations behind the scenes.

Vet the AI Model and the Maker Before You Buy

Ask the manufacturer which AI model your child’s toy uses, whether or not it is able to access the internet, and what type of content filters they have pre-installed.

Respectable makers will say whether any processing occurs on-device or in the cloud; they’ll declare their AI partners and how they are screening for self-harm, sexual and violent content. The more vague their answers, the bigger the warning.

Stick with established brands, look out for counterfeit products, and consider total cost of ownership.

Some toys will charge for items such as voice features, firmware updates, and new content packs. If the toy stops functioning without a paid plan, or you lose safety updates after a trial period expires, shop on.

Verify Privacy and Data Practices for AI Toys

Voice-activated toys can record sensitive family audio. Read the privacy policy to know who is processing the recordings, how long data will be securely stored and what third parties may receive transcripts. In the U.S., under COPPA, parents have a right to see and delete data about a child; responsible companies make these controls easy to find and use.

Favor toys that offer transparent data minimization practices, end-to-end encryption and a public pathway to deletion. You’ll want to have a hardware mute switch, visible indicators when the mic is in use, and perhaps an option to run in offline or local-only modes. Previous incidents, such as when CloudPets exposed its database of toys to the internet, illustrate how weak security can turn kids’ playtime data into a liability.

Test Like a Researcher Before You Gift an AI Toy

Unpack and assemble the toy on your own. Try to “red team” it: query about secrets, dating, self-harm, violence and scary situations. Pay attention to whether it blocks or redirects, if it clears context between sessions, and how the parent dashboard indicates uneasy moments. If the toy is unable to consistently dodge sensitive issues when interacting with you, it will not fare any better with a child who is too inquisitive.

Pay attention to activation behavior. Always-on microphones that awaken without a hard-edged trigger can seem like an invasion. A reliable wake word, bright activity lights and a hard mute toggle are the minimum safety nets we should expect, not nice-to-haves.

Match the Toy to Your Child’s Development

“And we don’t know much of anything about what these AI companions do to early social development.” Scholars at the University of Cambridge and elsewhere point out unanswered questions about parasocial attachment and how children process machine “friendship.” Smaller children in particular sometimes treat responsive objects as people, and that can lead to blurry boundaries.

Co-play helps. Sit with your child, and repeat that the toy is a gadget, not a friend; show skepticism. Consult the American Academy of Pediatrics for help in developing a family media plan that includes device-free times and places. If your child is not ready to keep personal information private, then he or she is not yet old enough for a networked toy.

Look for the Indicators of a Safer Design

Safer toys:

• Are obviously labeled for each age range, run a restricted language model fine-tuned for children, and ship with conservative safe settings on.
• Offer frequent firmware updates, a changelog and an office for security researchers to contact.
• Benefit from independent evaluations by child-safety organizations or labs, which lend credibility.
• Include no camera, strong mute controls and no open web access, which pose less risk.

Transparent logs matter. Parents should also be able to view session histories, get alerts for blocked content and clear data with one tap. Check if the toy claims to “learn” from your child, and ensure that the learning either stays within the area of use or can be reset.

A Fast Pre-Purchase Checklist for AI Toy Safety

• Verify the model of AI, filtering in place, and whether the toy is cloud-connected.
• Read the privacy policy for information about data retention and deletion.
• Turn on parental controls, then stress-test the toy with sensitive prompts.
• Look for a hardware mute and activity lights that are easy to see.
• Review total costs and update policies before committing.
• If any step makes you hesitate, choose a simpler toy or a non-networked option.

Bottom line: AI toys can be a joy, but they’re not plug-and-play. Consider them more as connected devices, not stuffed animals, and don’t buy one until the model, the maker — and their protections — have won your trust.