The new Wild West of AI kids’ toys

AI-powered toys are rapidly emerging in the consumer market, including pocket pets, autonomous robots, and AI emotional companions that use advanced language models and adaptive learning capabilities. However, child safety advocates recommend that parents of children under 5 avoid these toys, while those with children ages 6-13 should exercise extreme caution due to concerns about inappropriate content and emotional manipulation. Recent reporting has highlighted privacy and safety risks in AI toys, particularly around data handling and inappropriate outputs.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-05-09