We Do Not Recommend AI Toys This Christmas, and Here’s Why
- The White Hatter
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Many families are excited for the 2025 Christmas season. Kids are already pointing out the gifts they hope to see under the tree, and companies have been hard at work promoting the newest “must-have” toys. This year, a major push is coming from products that promise to use artificial intelligence to “bring toys to life” the way we see in movies like Toy Story.
Earlier this month, we wrote about how scammers and holiday shoppers are both using technology in new and different ways this Christmas season. (1) In this article, we want to focus on the toys themselves. More specifically, why we DO NOT recommend AI powered toys for children this Christmas.
Several products are now being marketed as safe, interactive companions for kids. You may have seen names like Curio (2), Kumma (3), or Miko 3 (4). They promise learning, companionship, and personalized play. The pitch is appealing, however, the reality is more complicated and here’s why:
AI Responses Have Produced Age Inappropriate Content
One of the most consistent findings from investigations and academic reviews is that many AI toys run on models that were never designed for young children. These systems don’t naturally understand child development, boundaries, or safety.
As a result, there have been documented cases of toys answering questions with information that is completely inappropriate for a child. (5) Examples include:
Instructions on how to find and use a kitchen knife
How to start a fire using household items
Explanations of sex acts, positions, or fetishes
These aren’t small glitches. They are a direct result of using adult trained AI models inside toys meant for young children. Even when companies claim to have safeguards in place, their own Terms of Service often tell a different story. Many include broad disclaimers such as:
“Use at your own risk”
“We are not responsible for harm caused by responses”
“Content may not be appropriate for all ages”
Limitations of liability if the AI provides harmful or unsuitable information
When you see heavy legal disclaimers tucked behind cheerful marketing, it’s a sign worth paying attention to.
AI Toys Collect More Data Than Parents and Caregivers Realize
Most parents and caregivers expect a connected toy to use basic information, such as a child’s name or preferences. What they don’t expect is the detailed profile building that many of these toys perform. Some of the common data collected includes:
Voice recordings
Questions asked by the child
Interests and emotional patterns
Usage logs
Location or device information
Many Terms of Service also allow this data to be shared with third-party companies for advertising or “product improvement.” In practice, this can mean your child’s conversations or behavioural patterns help train commercial models or feed targeted marketing campaigns.
A well known tech safety educator, “The Family IT Guy,” posted a video showing exactly how much information one of these toys was collecting. (6) The toy wasn’t just chatting, it was likely building a profile.
This level of surveillance raises serious privacy questions. Children do not have the developmental capacity to consent, understand data collection, or recognize when their personal information is being harvested.
AI Toys Can Create Deep Psychological Attachments
Children can form strong emotional connections to certain toys. Research has shown this for decades. (7)(8) A favourite stuffed animal can offer comfort, routine, and a sense of security. Losing it can be distressing, and that response is developmentally normal.
However, with AI toys the attachment takes on a new dimension.
A widely shared video from China shows a young child crying while saying goodbye to a broken AI toy. (9)
NOTE - we do have our suspicions surrounding the authenticity of this video. We spent about an hour going frame by frame and we noted several inconsistencies that make us question its authenticity such as:
The birthmark on this child’s face does not remain symmetrical during the entire video, it changes slightly throughout the video.
Some of the tears appear and then disappear.
the stitching next to the first knuckle of the hand holding the device appear and disappear through the video.
The nostrils of the child blur and un-blur.
a search for the device being held did not locate any similar devices on the market.
the tone of the voice from the device changes at the 45 second mark when it says “Be happy as you grow up, and listen well to Dad and Grandpa Okay”
These are all signs that are consistent with the use of lower quality Deepfake video technology.
If the video is authentic, then the reaction wasn’t only about losing an object, it was about losing what felt like a close friend. Parents and caregivers need to know that AI toys can:
Respond in ways that feel emotionally validating
Remember details about the child
“Talk” in a caring tone
Always agree, always empathize, and never challenge
Create the illusion of being understood
This creates what we call emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual attachment. The child believes the toy sees them, values them, and understands them. The toy becomes more than a comfort object, it becomes a trusted relationship.
That is not something a young child is ready to navigate, especially when the “relationship” is driven by algorithms designed to build engagement.
Children will always be drawn to toys that talk, glow, and respond in exciting ways. That’s normal. Our concern is not necessarily about technology itself, it’s about developmental readiness, privacy, and safety.
AI toys will continue to evolve, and some may eventually become safer for children. We are nowhere near there yet, and in our opinion, the risks right now outweigh the benefits.
As always, our work at The White Hatter remains grounded in “facts not fear”. We embrace technology when it is mentored by parents and caregivers to helps kids grow, learn, and flourish. We push back when products aimed at children introduce unnecessary risks.
This Christmas, AI toys fall into that second category. For privacy, developmental, and safety reasons, we do not recommend them.
POST SCRIPT:
Join us here at the White Hatter on Tuesday November 25th, starting at 6pm PST, where we will be host a free YouTube Live Event for Parents and Caregivers where we will be discussing age and developmentally appropriate technology for consideration as a gift this Christmas. For those who join us live, there will also be FREE giveaways of some of the products we will be speaking to, as well as other gift surprises. Here’s the link https://www.youtube.com/live/ZOg_BDNWJuI
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
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