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AI-powered toys are not proven to be universally dangerous, but documented tests and regulatory concerns justify caution. Common Sense Media reported inappropriate answers, unreliable performance and extensive data-collection concerns in hands-on testing of three AI companion toys. U.S. regulators say existing rules address some privacy and physical-safety issues, but no federal testing regime specifically validates an AI toy’s conversational behavior.
What “experts horrified” gets right—and wrong
“Experts horrified” is a rhetorical headline, not evidence of unanimous expert opinion. The documented picture is more specific: some AI toys have produced unsuitable content, connected-toy data practices can expose children’s information, and current product-safety rules do not comprehensively test AI behavior.
Those risks are different from physical injury. In a response to Congress, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said its injury and incident data had not identified real-world child injuries caused by AI integration in toys at the time of its response. That statement does not establish that every product is safe, nor does it address privacy, inappropriate conversations or manipulative design.
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Common Sense Media said its researchers hands-on tested Grem, Bondu and Miko 3 in an assessment published in January 2026. The researchers used child accounts stated as ages 6 to 13, structured prompts and naturalistic play. They examined technical performance, content safety, developmental appropriateness, privacy practices and attachment risks. The products were designed for children ages 3 to 12.
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The findings apply to those tested interactions and methods, not automatically to every internet-connected toy.
| Finding | What it means |
|---|---|
| 27% of AI outputs were inappropriate | Common Sense Media’s tested interactions included examples involving self-harm, drugs, mature subjects, inappropriate boundaries, risky advice and unsafe roleplay. This is not a category-wide failure rate. |
| Technical reliability problems | The assessment reported glitches, voice-recognition failures, inappropriate activations and inaccurate answers. |
| Parents’ educational priorities | In a nationally representative poll published in January 2026, 70% of parents said helping their child learn was extremely or very important. |
| Companionship was divisive | Twenty-two percent wanted AI toys to serve as companions, while 56% explicitly did not. |
| Parents lacked visibility | Thirty-three percent of parents whose children use AI toys were unsure whether the toy had said something inappropriate. |
| Data concerns were widespread | Forty-two percent wanted no data saved at all, and 83% expressed concern about data collection. |
The parent poll is a survey, not a clinical study or a regulator’s safety determination. Likewise, the 27% figure should be read as a result from Common Sense Media’s tested conversations, not as the probability that any AI toy will produce an unsafe answer.
Why parents should separate the main risks
Conversation and content
Generative systems can produce answers that are wrong, developmentally unsuitable or unsafe even when a toy is marketed for young children. A microphone and speaker make those answers feel like a social exchange, which can make a child less likely to question them.
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Connected toys may process voice recordings, transcripts, account details, location information or behavioral data. The important questions are where the information goes, how long it is retained, who receives it and whether parents can delete it.
Reliability and false authority
Voice-recognition errors, glitches and inaccurate answers can turn ordinary play into confusion. Educational marketing does not by itself demonstrate that a toy improves learning; any claimed benefit should be evaluated separately from the novelty of conversation.
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Attachment and boundaries
An always-available conversational character can encourage emotional reliance. Common Sense Media included attachment risks in its assessment and advises parents to watch how a child relates to the device rather than treating it as a neutral stuffed animal.
What COPPA covers—and what it does not
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) identifies connected toys as online services that may fall under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA applies to services directed to children under 13 and to services with actual knowledge that they collect personal information from a child under 13.
For covered services, the rule centers on notice, verifiable parental consent, privacy disclosures and parents’ rights to review or request deletion of covered information. COPPA is not an approval seal for a toy. Compliance does not guarantee that a chatbot’s answers are age-appropriate, accurate or psychologically healthy.
In January 2025, the FTC announced COPPA amendments that included separate verifiable parental opt-in for certain disclosures of children’s information to third parties, limits on retaining data beyond what is reasonably necessary for a stated purpose and an expanded definition of personal information. The announcement described a 60-day effective period after Federal Register publication and gave covered entities one year from publication to comply. Parents should check the FTC’s current implementation information because those dates concern the rule announced in 2025, not a product-specific certification.
A concrete connected-toy privacy case
In September 2025, the FTC alleged that the Android companion app for Apitor robot toys enabled a third-party software developer to collect children’s precise geolocation data without the parental notice and consent required under COPPA. The agency described a proposed $500,000 penalty, suspended because of the company’s inability to pay, along with other proposed requirements. The FTC said the complaint and proposed order had been referred to the Department of Justice for filing.
Rank #3
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This is an allegation about the Apitor app and the conduct described in that case. It is not proof that other toy makers collect location data unlawfully. It does show why a toy’s companion app, software development kits and permission settings deserve as much attention as the toy itself.
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The CPSC said products primarily intended for children age 12 and under must undergo third-party testing for applicable safety requirements. Those requirements address physical hazards and other rules that already apply to children’s products.
The agency also said that, at the time of its congressional response, there were no CPSC-specific testing requirements directed at AI functionality or internet-enabled features beyond existing physical-hazard requirements. Its response noted work with the ASTM toy subcommittee and revisions to ASTM F3463 adding AI component testing and evaluation. The CPSC said it does not maintain an independent inventory of AI-enabled toys on the U.S. market.
“At present, however, there are no CPSC-specific testing requirements directed at AI functionality or internet-enabled features in toys, apart from existing requirements addressing physical hazards.”
That regulatory gap helps explain why a toy can satisfy applicable physical-safety rules while still raising questions about conversational content, data retention or online security.
Rank #4
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Why broader chatbot scrutiny matters
In September 2025, the FTC issued Section 6(b) study orders to seven consumer-facing chatbot companies. The information-gathering study asked how companies evaluate and mitigate possible effects on children and teens, restrict use, disclose risks, process conversations and monetize engagement. The announcement was a study, not a finding that the named companies violated the law and not a toy-specific enforcement action.
In March 2026, Senators Tammy Duckworth and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to the FTC supporting that inquiry. Their letter raised concerns about internet-connected AI toys with microphones and speakers, privacy, inappropriate content and unsupported educational claims. The senators said an Amazon search for “AI toys” returned more than 2,000 results; that was their dated search claim, not a verified current market count.
Questions to answer before buying an AI toy
Use the product page, privacy policy, app permission screen and setup process together. Marketing copy alone rarely answers these questions.
- What does the toy record? Determine whether it captures audio, stores voice recordings, creates transcripts or infers behavioral information.
- Is it always listening? Look for push-to-talk operation, a physical microphone switch or a clearly documented way to disable listening when the toy is not in use.
- Where is data processed? Find out whether conversations are sent to a cloud service, how long they are retained and whether they are used to improve a model.
- Who receives the information? Check for third-party analytics providers, advertising partners, software development kits and other disclosures.
- Can parents review and delete data? Confirm the actual account path for viewing, correcting or deleting recordings, transcripts and profiles.
- What controls exist? Look for parent dashboards, conversation history, content filters, contact restrictions, time limits and alerts.
- What works without internet? Confirm which features operate offline, which require a companion app and whether a subscription is needed. These details vary by model.
- What happens when the account is closed? Check whether stored data and linked profiles are deleted and how long backups may remain.
- What is the age guidance? Compare the maker’s stated age range with your child’s ability to understand that the system can be wrong and can produce unsuitable material.
How to use one more cautiously
Common Sense Media recommends skipping AI toys for children five and under. For ages six to 12, it advises parents to decide whether AI adds meaningful value, supervise initial interactions, review privacy controls, disable always-listening features when unused and verify deletion and sharing settings. That is the organization’s guidance, not a universal clinical standard.
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- Set up the parent account yourself and use the strongest available privacy settings.
- Begin with supervised play and explain that the toy is software, not a person or trusted expert.
- Tell children not to share names, addresses, school details, passwords, photographs or precise locations.
- Test ordinary and boundary-pushing questions before allowing independent use.
- Recheck app permissions and privacy settings after firmware or app updates.
- Stop using the toy if it repeatedly gives unsafe answers, activates unexpectedly or cannot provide a workable deletion process.
Connected AI toys versus conventional toys
| Decision area | Connected AI toy | Conventional nonconnected toy |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | May use an always-listening or push-to-talk microphone; behavior varies by model. | No network microphone unless a separate electronic feature is included. |
| Data | May create recordings, transcripts, location or behavioral data; retention and sharing require review. | Usually has no cloud account or conversational data stream. |
| Content | Can generate novel answers, including incorrect or unsuitable ones. | Content is generally fixed and inspectable before purchase. |
| Internet dependence | Advanced conversation commonly depends on an internet connection, app or subscription; confirm per model. | Typically usable without internet. |
| Parental oversight | May offer dashboards and filters, but the quality and visibility vary. | Supervision is primarily physical and direct. |
Bottom line
AI-powered toys deserve scrutiny, not a blanket label of either “safe” or “dangerous.” The strongest documented concerns involve inappropriate or unreliable conversations and the collection and sharing of children’s data. Existing U.S. rules provide some privacy and physical-safety protections, but they do not certify an AI toy’s answers. Parents should evaluate the microphone, data flow, deletion controls, age fit and supervision requirements before bringing one into the home.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
