Common Sense Media Warns Against AI Toy Companions After Research Reveals Safety Risks

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22, 2026—Common Sense Media today released new guidance recommending that parents avoid giving AI toys—smart toys with voice-based interactions—to children age 5 and under, and exercise extreme caution before purchasing them for children age 6 to 12. Common Sense Media researchers found that these products introduce serious risks to children's development, privacy, and safety. A new poll of parents also released today shows that nearly half of parents have purchased or considered purchasing AI-enabled toys or devices for their children, despite these significant risks and their own similar concerns about AI toy companions.

"Most toys are required to undergo rigorous safety testing before they hit the market, but we still lack meaningful child safeguards for AI," said Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer. "Parents should proceed with caution and make sure they know all the facts before making the choice that's right for their kids."

The risk assessment's findings include:

• AI toy companions create emotional attachment by design: These products use deliberate bonding mechanisms to create companion-like relationships.
• Inappropriate material breaks through safety guardrails: Despite protective measures, 27% of AI toy outputs were inappropriate for kids.
• AI toys collect extensive data in children's private spaces: These devices collect voice recordings, transcripts, and behavioral data.
• AI toys are unreliable, undermining their educational value: Testing revealed problems with voice recognition, inappropriate activations, and inaccurate responses.

"Our risk assessment found that AI toy companions share fundamental problems that make them inappropriate for young children," said Robbie Torney, Head of AI & Digital Assessments at Common Sense Media. "More than a quarter of outputs included inappropriate content such as mentions of self-harm, drugs, and risky behaviors. Combined with extensive data collection and subscription models that exploit emotional bonds, these products aren't safe for kids 5 and under, and pose serious concerns for older kids as well."

Common Sense Media's poll found that nearly three in four parents are concerned that AI toy companions might say something inappropriate, untrue, or unsafe to their child, and nearly two-thirds of parents expect that these toys would negatively impact time spent on more traditional forms of play like blocks, outdoor play, dolls, or drawing. 83% expressed at least moderate concern about the collection of personal information.

"For young children, AI toy companions can blur the line between play and real relationships at a stage when kids are still learning how social interaction works and how to navigate emotional cues," said Michael Robb, Head of Research at Common Sense Media. "Parents have good reason to be cautious about technologies that may replace human interaction or collect sensitive information without clear developmental benefits."

The poll's other key findings include:

• The vast majority of parents (80%) are at least moderately concerned about cybersecurity risks with AI toy companions, including hacking, unauthorized access, and insecure connections.
• Nearly 8 in 10 parents (79%) are concerned about difficulties with setting limits on their child's use of AI toy companions.
• More than half of parents do not want AI-enabled toys or devices to act as friends or provide emotional comfort. But nearly one in five parents do want the devices to serve that purpose.

The full risk assessment can be found here. The poll can be found here.

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users worldwide and 1.4 million educators every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.

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