Buying AI-enabled and connected gadgets for kids
Guidance for parents and carers
Explore guidance below to help you make the best choice for your family when it comes to smart toys, wearables and AI gadgets.
Quick tips for buying smart toys and gadgets
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Supervise use
Start by using the toy or gadget together. Then supervise play as your child increases independence.
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In this guide
- Before you buy: What to consider
- Choosing a smart toy
- Choosing a smart gadget
- FAQs
- More tech buying guides
Before you buy: What to consider
Buying a toy or gadget that connects to the internet or uses AI is not as simple as your child choosing one off the shelf. There are several other factors to consider so you can feel confident in your child’s safety.
Questions to ask yourself
- Why does your child want the toy or gadget? Is it just for fun, companionship or learning?
- What data is it collecting and when? Does it have a microphone where it can ‘listen’ 24/7? Does it track your child’s location?
- How is data processed and stored? Is it kept in the device itself, saved on an app or sent somewhere else?
- How often is its security updated? Do you have to keep on top of regular updates to keep it safe? Does it even have updates?
Things to talk about
- Where your child can use their toy or gadget, such as in shared areas like the living room rather than their bedroom;
- If they can talk to the toy, discuss what is and isn’t okay to say such as keeping personal information private;
- How long they can use the toy or gadget at any one time;
- Whether use of the device will be supervised and what that will look like;
- What to do if the toy or gadget does or says something that feels weird or uncomfortable.
Choosing a smart toy
Smart toys come in a range of formats. These include robots that kids can programme to ‘life’ as well as stuffed animals that use AI to ‘talk’ with them.
Use the guidance below to help you make the safest choice for your child and family.
Chat & communication toys
These AI toys might look like stuffed animals, dolls, action figures or robots. Unlike older toys which can ‘talk’ by cycling through different phrases, these toys can respond to children.
Chat and communication toys work in similar ways to chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. They generally have safeguards in place to protect children who use them.
- Lesser known brands might not have robust safeguards.
- Safeguards might lead to confusion for children.
- Children might overshare.
- Children might see the communication as a real and not show enough caution.
- Toys without safeguards could lead communication into inappropriate spaces.
Features to focus on
- Prioritise familiar brands. Well-known brands generally have more attention on them so need to be very careful about what they sell.
- Look for regulation labels. Labels like UKCA and CE mean that the toy has been reviewed to follow physical safety regulations.
- Lean towards transparency. The toy’s website should have an easily accessibly privacy policy or information on children’s safety. If you struggle to find this information, it’s best to choose something else.
- Think about ongoing costs. Some smart toys or toys with AI require a subscription. Be fully aware of all costs before making a purchase.
Programming & robotic toys
These generally come in the form of ‘robots’. In some cases, these are robots that children build from scratch and use an app to programme it. The actions of the robots will vary. Some will communicate while most others focus on movement.
Children learn programming and robotic fundamentals to design a robot that functions. These can help develop problem-solving and coding skills along with resilience for when things don’t work out the way they want.
- Younger children might become frustrated by more complicated kits or instructions.
- While most kits will focus on simple movements, it’s a good idea to check that the robot can’t be developed to communicate or go beyond simple movements.
- The use of AI in any technology should be reviewed: what kind of data and information is processed and kept?
Features to focus on
- See what other parents say. Explore reviews in places like TrustPilot, on Amazon or on social media. What are people saying about safety? Do people find it good quality? Does it support children’s learning? Avoid anything with low ratings (or no ratings at all).
- Pay attention to age labels. Some ‘build-your-own’ toys can be complex, so choose kits that are within your child’s age range. If they are too easy, you can always explore others later.
- Explore what is needed beyond the kit. Will it need to connect to a device? Do you have the right device? Is a subscription or repeated add-on needed to keep the toy interesting?
Choosing a smart gadget
Smart gadgets are devices that connect to the internet or use Bluetooth. These aren’t considered toys but can be used for leisure or different forms of play.
Use the guidance below to help you make safe choices for smart gadgets your child is interested in.
AR tech & VR headsets
Virtual reality (VR) headsets can be used for playing video games, watching content and other immersive experiences. Augmented reality (AR) generally uses a camera to add digital images in the offline world.
While these types of technology can be exciting, there are unique risks for you to stay on top of.
- With VR, children’s vision of their surrounding area is blocked. This puts them at risk of hurting themself or others.
- AR requires children to look at the world through a screen. Pokémon GO is an example of AR. This makes it easy to ‘detach’ from awareness of their surroundings.
- Many users of VR, including children, report feeling dizzy or nauseated while using VR headsets.
- A lot of VR experiences are designed for adults rather than children.
- Some AR tech and VR headsets may collect location data, eye movements or even room layouts.
Features to focus on
- Explore age minimums. Meta Quest headsets, for example, do not allow use of their headsets for under-10s, even with parent permission. If a company has set an age minimum, it’s important to follow them for your child’s health and privacy. Consider holding off until your child is older.
- See whether ‘casting’ is available. This is a feature which allows you to display on a TV or smartphone what your child is seeing in their VR headset.
- Check how ‘boundary’ features work. Reputable VR headsets allow you to create a boundary in your home. This is a safe space for your child to move in without hitting furniture or walls.
- Review what parental controls are available. Prioritise devices which have built-in controls that can help manage play time and data collection.
- Choose lightweight devices. Some VR headsets can be quite heavy, so look for lighter options wherever possible.
Smartwatches & wearables
Smartwatch and wearable options for kids have increased over the past few years. Some parents even use smartwatches as a ‘bridge’ to smartphones.
These gadgets usually include GPS tracking, step counters and some communication tools. Wearables designed specifically for kids tend to be simpler than those designed for adults.
- Your child’s location is consistently tracked, which might give you peace of mind. However, without the right safeguards, harmful people might try to access that data.
- Lesser-known brands might also store location data in unsafe ways.
- GPS is not always accurate, especially indoors or in busier areas, which might lead to unnecessary worry for you.
- While generally less distracting than mobile phones, smartwatches can still disrupt learning at school.
Features to focus on
- Choose something simple. Choose a wearable that uses a simple design with limited features or features that you can choose to include as a parent.
- Explore parent options. Wearables designed for children have more options for you as a parent. You might be able to set up ‘school mode’ or only allow calls and texts from select family members.
- Understand privacy and data. On the product’s website, explore privacy policies and statements of compliance. This will help you ensure the wearables follow UK cyber security law.
- Make sure the app is private too. You will likely manage your child’s wearable on your smartphone, so look into how data and privacy is managed on the app itself.
Smart speakers
Smart speakers are common in many households now. They let your family do simple things like listen to music, set timers or even control lights and heating.
Popular brands like Amazon, Google and Apple also have options for children. This might include a speaker in a fun colour or shape, but more importantly, includes profiles and activities for kids.
- If your child is not set up as a separate child user, they might be able to access areas you don’t want. An example is gaining access to ‘Amazon Shopping’ via the Echo and making a purchase.
- As smart speakers start to utilise communication in the style of AI chatbots, more data might be collected.
- Some worry about smart speakers always ‘listening’ and collecting data about their family constantly.
- If your child asks a question and doesn’t get an answer (or gets a confusing one), they might struggle with what to do next.
Features to focus on
- Find smart speakers for kids. Look into products specifically designed for kids from reputable brands.
- Check out the parental control options. When setting up a profile for your child, what can you manage? Ensure these features align with the needs of your family.
- Read up on data collection. Does the smart speaker have customisable privacy features to limit what’s collected about your family?
FAQs
AI toys generally should have greater safeguards than an internet chatbot. However, you should always supervise use of AI toys, particularly when your child can communicate with the toy.
Check-in regularly on their use as well to make sure the toy is safe.
Before setting your child up with a new smart toy or gadget, explore the privacy policy and any related statements. Avoid products which share data with third-parties or use the data to help the product improve. Otherwise, check where you can turn data collection off.
Often, when you buy a smart toy or gadget, there is the cost for the item itself. However, there is also sometimes a hidden subscription fee or in-app purchases to access certain features.
When choosing a new smart toy or gadget, do your research into what else might be needed. If you can’t find the information on the product page online, consider avoiding it altogether. Give preference to products which are fully transparent.
Look for products designed specifically for children which come with a companion app for parents. This is the best way to ensure you can set parental controls.
If the toy or gadget doesn’t have the option, consider using visual timers during use. You can do this by setting boundaries about where the toy can be used. If it’s only allowed in the living room, for example, that makes it a lot easier to track your child’s use.
Before your child starts using any product with AI, make sure they know to stop using it if it says something strange. And be sure to supervise use wherever you can.
If something does happen, talk to your child about what it was. If it feels like something inappropriate was done or said, discontinue use. Contact the customer service line for the product brand and get direct support.
If customer service isn’t available or the issue can’t be resolved, consider stopping usage altogether.
Explore more tech guides
Buying mobile phones
Buying games consoles
Buying laptops or tablets
Buying smart TVs
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