Toy story or children story? Putting children and their rights at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution

Abstract

Policymakers need to start considering the impact smart connected toys (SCTs) have on children. Equipped with sensors, data processing capacities, and connectivity, SCTs targeting children increasingly penetrate pervasively personal environments. The network of SCTs forms the Internet of Toys (IoToys) and often increases children's engagement and playtime experience. Unfortunately, this young part of the population and, most of the time, their parents are often unaware of SCTs’ far-reaching capacities and limitations. The capabilities and constraints of SCTs create severe side effects at the technical, individual, and societal level. These side effects are often unforeseeable and unexpected. They arise from the technology's use and the interconnected nature of the IoToys, without necessarily involving malevolence from their creators. Although existing regulations and new ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence provide remedies to address some of the side effects, policymakers did not develop these redress mechanisms having children and SCTs in mind. This article provides an analysis of the arising side effects of SCTs and contrasts them with current regulatory redress mechanisms. We thereby highlight misfits and needs for further policymaking efforts.

Our business, not the robot’s: family conversations about privacy with social robots in the home

“…A more explicit tie to the robot, giving the third party a clearer reason for accessing information, may change the information sharing context. Work with child-centered social robots also closely aligns with work on smart and connected toys (Peter et al, 2019), often deemed the Internet of Toys, which pose more security, safety, and privacy threats to children (Holloway and Green, 2016;Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2023). Considering how such devices are already being commercialized and marketed to children exacerbates the need to study children's perceptions of privacy and data literacy with smart systems that gather information about them and their environment within the context of consumerism.…”