If a toy were determined to be unsafe, the government could intervene through the Product Safety and Metrology Act passed last year, which grants it increased powers to impose regulations on consumer products put on the U.K. market, including those sold online.
The government has also said it will consult shortly on “major reforms” to the U.K.’s product safety framework to tackle the prevalence of unsafe products sold to Brits and increase the regime’s enforcement powers.
In a written statement in December, Digital Economy Minister Liz Lloyd said the government was committed to reviewing the regulations for toys, which would “examine whether changes are needed to detailed safety requirements to reflect modern challenges, such as the use of AI in toys.”
It comes amid warnings from researchers and consumer and parent groups over the safety of AI toys and their impact on children.
A study by University of Cambridge researchers this month warned that AI toys are already being marketed to children despite a lack of robust studies about how they could impact early years development. The researchers called for stricter regulation and labeling requirements to help inform parents.
Testing one toy, the researchers found that it often misunderstood children and reacted inappropriately to emotions. In one instance a toy reacted to a five-year-old boy saying “I love you” with “please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided.”
