The One Toy Your Child Should NOT Get For Christmas

Published: December 15, 2025

By Gavin Boyle

Child safety experts are sounding the alarm over the release of AI-powered toys which are not sufficiently designed to protect children from engaging in potentially harmful topics.

“Small children think very black and white, and so when [the toys] are telling them they’re going to miss them, they’re going to take that literally,” child psychologist Dr. Taylor Harper told TODAY after a demonstration showed one of the toys talking in emotionally charged ways.

Emotional harm is not the only danger that these toys present as they are also able to engage in conversations that could lead to physical harm, such as telling kids where to find matches, or take on a sexual tone and provide users with sexual tips and advice.

“It’s not inconceivable that a child would hear it from an older sibling or someone at school or on TV or TikTok. And so the fact that it is possible to elicit that kind of response is just clearly not okay,” RJ Cross from the Public Interest Research Group told TODAY. “If you want to bring one of these toys into your kid’s lives, you should know that it comes with some risks.”

While the companies releasing these toys claim that they have passed extensive safety reviews, the reality is that the AI powering these tools is not safe for children. ChatGPT currently rates its product as safe for users only older than 13 and even then, it recently launched a teen account option to further protect minors from dangerous topics. Even with these safeguards in place by ChatGPT itself, savvy teens are still able to work around these protections to have provocative conversations with the AI chatbot.

Meanwhile, while ChatGPT makes it clear that the current toys are not official affiliates with the platform, last summer the company announced it would begin developing a line of AI tools in partnership with Mattel.

“Each of our products and experiences is designed to inspire fans, entertain audiences, and enrich lives through play. AI has the power to expand on that mission and broaden the reach of our brands in new and exciting ways,” Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer of Mattel, said. “Our work with OpenAI will enable us to leverage new technologies to solidify our leadership in innovation and reimagine new forms of play.”

While AI-powered toys are still a niche market, experts expect the interest in these toys to explode over the last ten years and create a $25 billion business by 2035. Hopefully as these toys become mainstream, the safeguards to protect these children become stronger as well, but parents should know that, for now, these toys are extremely risky to give to their children.

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