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A friendly reminder that "AI toys" have no AI in them, they're only an internet-connected microphone.
As a theoretical avenue of thought, I'm not sure there's much harm for 11-17 year olds to talk to "smart" toys with no internet connectivity (at all, in principle, no fucking way) about that stuff. Not much different from Elisa. They are seeking and finding pretty explicit things on the Internet, with their peers, in media. It's not a question of whether they should, it's a fact that they predominantly do.
I live in a big city, but I've been to a smaller town nearby a couple of years ago, sitting on a bench after one LARP event and listening to a bunch of teens (13-15 years old) discussing everyone they were seeing passing by, and, eh, it was pretty clear they don't just discuss sex. It's funny to remember some specific phrases, but it was pretty depressing to sit there then, because when they weren't talking about sex, they were talking about SCP and footy, and all the time I was thinking of a polite excuse to leave, until I just left. Made a friend, though.
You're assuming that whatever they're talking to is capable of giving only good advice with awareness and consideration of their living situation.
Sex education is beneficial if done well, but there is zero evidence suggesting AI can do anything well.
All automation of decision-making is AI. Entrusting it to an open model trained on lots of data - yeah, I agree it shouldn't be done.
Just program them to redirect to conversations about violence. American parents are much more comfortable with that subject.
And to continue to accept school shootings as part of the education curriculum.
How else they gonna learn?
So sad and true
You need to have something for the kids to enjoy as well. Sprinkle in some school shooting scenarios.
OK, but can we put them back on the market and just advertise them as talking about kink? For, uhhh, reasons.
Real Dolls just got a lot more real
OHHHHHH, so when kids toys are talking nasty it's the PARENTS that need to be on alert, but not so much when THE PARENTS hand their kids unrestricted and unmonitored smartphones to seek out adult material on explicitly labeled adult websites! ๐๐คฌ๐
Given how often teddy bears are choked and hugged too hard they have to be experts at bdsm.
$16.7bn global smart-toy market
HOLY FUCK, I always though that the toy market was cheaper, since I mean, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TOYS, I didn't even know that SO many people still pay for toys.
Me thinks you don't have kids
I have a kid but he's at the stage where the greatest level of entertainment can be derived by sticking things up his nose.
I won't get him smart anything as a toy.
Anyone who works in IT wouldn't want that, like most cyber security professionals everything in my house is either analogue (door locks, fire alarm) or not internet connected, I have a smart TV but it's not connected to the internet and if I want to watch Netflix I just hook it up to the PS5 which basically is a media streaming service.
You guested right, I don't like the idea of bringing new lifes to such a shitty work like this.
I didn't even know that SO many people still pay for toys.
There's not many alternatives for kids
this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2025
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