Cybersecurity Policy Report, Senators Seek Info About Privacy, Safety of AI-Powered Toys, (Dec 17, 2025)
By Jeff Williams
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) sent a letter yesterday to the chief executive officers of Little Learners Toys, Mattel, Miko, Curio Interactive, FoloToy, and Keyi Robot expressing concern that the sale of toys that use artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots “pose risks to children’s healthy development” and seeking information, among other things, about what “safeguards” the companies have in place to “prevent AI-powered toys from generating sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate content for children.”
Toymakers have a “unique and profound influence on childhood—and with that influence comes responsibility,” the senators argued, saying that the companies “must not choose profit over safety for children, a choice made by Big Tech that has devastated our nation’s kids.”
Ms. Blackburn and Mr. Blumenthal said that though AI had “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.”
“Many of these toys are not offering interactive play, but instead are exposing children to inappropriate content, privacy risks, and manipulative engagement tactics,” they said.
In addition, they said that, “[m]ost concerningly, many of these AI toys use the exact same AI systems that have been dangerous for older children and teens. Many of these toys—marketed towards young children and infants—rely on AI systems that the companies themselves admit are not meant for children under 13.”
The lawmakers also said that along with being “potentially dangerous,” AI-powered toys are “addictive by design” and posed privacy concerns.
“These products are often designed to have free-flowing conversations with children who, without knowing better, will share troves of personal information,” they said. "This data collection comes with risk as companies store and sell the data they collect on children.”
In addition to the information about safeguards regarding content, the senators asked the companies to provide responses by Jan. 6, 2026, to several questions, including whether they had “conducted independent third-party testing to ensure your AI toys do not produce harmful or manipulative conversations;” whether AI toys “include any features that pressure children to continue conversations or discourage them from disengaging;” what data such toys collect from children; and what data is shared with third parties.
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