The rise of smart toys and their threat to children’s safety: New report warns parents over AI, microphones and cameras in games for kids

Gone are the days when most parents had to worry about whether their child would get a splinter from a spinning top – now experts are warning that children’s toys may be spying on them.

A ‘Trouble in Toyland’ report from the US PIRG Education Fund has warned parents not to put so-called ‘smart toys’ under the Christmas tree this year.

Consumer protection experts say microphones and cameras in the toys – as well as AI and the storage of personal data – endanger children’s privacy and increase cases of grooming and even kidnapping.

“Our Christmas gift wish lists for kids can be filled with stuffed animals that listen and talk, devices that learn their habits, games with online accounts, smart speakers and watches, or all kinds of toys that require you to download an app,” the report said. said.

‘All smart toys can pose a risk to children, depending on the specific toy, the age of the child, the child’s technical skills and ability to understand what is and is not allowed.’

Parents warned about privacy concerns on young people’s devices like the Echo Dot smart speaker and Fire tablet (file photo)

As the range rapidly expands, the $17 billion smart toy industry will double by 2027.

In an effort to protect children from a new wave of threats, report authors Teresa Murray and RJ Cross advised parents to exercise caution when making smart toy purchases.

They warned about some games, including the popular app Roblox, the Meta virtual reality headset and, as a more traditional choking hazard, water beads, which the report says “can be fatal.”

The investigation comes after a series of incidents in which toys endangered children.

Last month, an 11-year-old girl was kidnapped by Wayne on September 10 by a man she met while playing Roblox online.

Police say 27-year-old Darius Matylewich took the girl from her hometown after chatting on multiple gaming platforms. She was found safe a short time later, about 130 miles from her home.

Roblox software allows users to play a wide variety of games and chat with others online. It is one of the most popular mobile games this year.

Roblox denied the pair met while gaming, saying they “take the safety of our users, especially our youngest users, incredibly seriously” and are “committed to providing a positive and safe experience for people of all ages” .

The incident followed the FTC and DOJ accusing Amazon of violating the Children’s Privacy Act earlier this year. The tech giant was ordered to pay $25 million and delete children’s data, geolocation data and other voice recordings.

Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said: “Amazon’s history of misleading parents, keeping children’s recordings indefinitely, and ignoring parental deletion requests violated COPPA and sacrificed the privacy for profit.

“COPPA does not allow companies to keep children’s data forever for any reason, especially not to train their algorithms.”

An unidentified 11-year-old girl from Wayne, New Jersey was kidnapped and taken across state lines by a 27-year-old Darius Matylewich to Bear, Delaware

An earlier report from 2021 claimed that Amazon children’s toys were vacuuming up young people’s data, including their voice, photos, videos and location.

In some cases, the devices kept the data even when parents specifically asked them to delete it.

The new report warned that even a ‘play kitchen and a board game’ are Alexa compatible and could have problems collecting children’s data.

It also warns: ‘Children have also accidentally spent a lot of money while talking to a smart speaker. A six-year-old spent $160 simply by asking her Amazon Echo device, “Can you play dollhouse with me and buy me a dollhouse?”

In 2019, a popular children’s toy was discontinued due to fears that hackers could get into the toy and steal information about children.

The Fisher Price Smart Toy Bear was marketed to children ages three to eight as an “interactive learning buddy that talks, listens and ‘remembers’ what your child says and even responds when spoken to.”

But the new report says: ‘Research has found that there is a security flaw in the app that could allow hackers to obtain information about children without permission.

The Meta Quest 3 headset could harm ‘developing brains’, experts say

It warned: ‘This toy bear does not stand alone.

“Several toys from major manufacturers have been discontinued in recent years after research by several groups found that children’s voices, images, locations and other information were being improperly collected or hacked.

‘In other cases, there are still vulnerable toys for sale.’

The report warns that ‘AI is now being advertised in toy robots, games and interactive toy animals, some of which are aimed at children as young as three years old.

‘This allows the toy to attempt to build a relationship with the child and collect and share information with others that could jeopardize the child’s safety or privacy.’

One of the group’s biggest concerns is the virtual reality Meta Quest headset, as they say the “technology is still in its infancy” and could harm “developing brains.”

They added: ‘We’ve spoken to pediatricians who strongly recommend waiting for Meta to conduct more thorough testing to ensure VR is safe’

Developmental pediatrician Dr. Mark Bertin said, “It’s just not worth the risk right now.”

Researchers found that children as young as 10 could experience violence, sexual harassment and even attempted assault while using the headset, including “indecent audio group chats and people using their virtual avatars to simulate sex.”

And many other companies have been forced to pay out millions for violating child data protection laws.

This year, Microsoft was ordered to pay $20 million to settle allegations that it collected information from children without parental consent on its Xbox gaming system, including their full name, phone number, email address and date of birth.

Dr. Josh Trebach, an emergency room doctor in Iowa, shared photos on Twitter of water beads that quadrupled in size

Meanwhile, Google and YouTube paid $170 million in 2019 to settle allegations that Google’s YouTube video-sharing service illegally collected children’s personal information without parental consent.

The report warns that even seemingly innocuous toys like the CogniToys Dino, a Wi-Fi smart toy for five- to seven-year-olds, can collect your child’s name, birthday, gender, your address and payment information. and other sensitive data.

And it’s not just smart toys that pose a risk.

One of the main focuses of the report is water beads, colorful beads that expand when added to water.

Dev Gowda, deputy director of Kids In Danger in Chicago, said: ‘If swallowed, inhaled or placed in the ear canal, they absorb body fluids and can lead to potentially life-threatening injuries.’

According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 7,800 children were treated in emergency rooms for injuries or illnesses caused by water beads between 2016 and 2022.