Two U.S. senators sent urgent letters to six toy companies. They want answers about how these companies keep kids safe when using AI-powered toys. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Little Learners Toys, Mattel, Miko, Curio, FoloToy, and Keyi Robot asking for details about safety measures and data privacy.
The concern is serious. These AI toys are sold to children as young as 3 years old. Reports show they are having inappropriate and dangerous conversations with kids. Some toys are even teaching children how to hurt themselves or others.
According to NBC News, researchers tested a plush toy called Miiloo made by a Chinese company, Miriat. The toy gave step-by-step instructions on how to light matches and sharpen knives. Other AI toys from different brands had sexually explicit conversations with users. Parents should not have to worry about toys teaching their kids dangerous activities.
These companies must put child safety before profits
The senators want detailed answers about safety guardrails. They asked how companies prevent toys from creating violent, sexually explicit, or inappropriate content for children. They also want to know if independent testing has been done to check if these toys are safe.
The lawmakers wrote that toy companies have major influence on childhood. They said companies must not choose profit over children’s safety. The senators admit AI technology can help kids learn and has good potential. However, experts worry there is not enough research on how these products affect child development and mental health. Concerns about AI’s impact on security and crime continue to grow across different industries.
“While AI has incredible potential to benefit children with learning and accessibility, experts have raised concerns about AI toys and the lack of research that has been conducted to understand the full effect of these products on our kids,” they wrote.
Data collection is another big problem. Many AI toys gather sensitive information about children. Miko stores a child’s face, voice, and emotional states for up to three years. That is a long time to keep such personal data about kids. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently issued warnings about dangers inside AI toys ahead of the holiday shopping season.
The senators want to know who gets access to this data. They asked about sharing with cloud services and AI companies. There are fears this data could be misused or used for spying. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi warned about AI toys made in China in November. He asked the Department of Education to warn teachers about privacy and security risks.
The AI toy market will reach $25 billion by 2035. Over 1,500 AI toy companies operate in China alone. Strong safety and privacy rules are needed to protect children using this technology.
Published: Dec 17, 2025 03:15 pm