cs.HCApr 3, 2026

Toys that listen, talk, and play: Understanding Children's Sensemaking and Interactions with AI Toys

Authors: Aayushi Dangol, Meghna Gupta, Daeun Yoo, Robert Wolfe, Jason Yip, Franziska Roesner, Julie A. Kientz

Organizations: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA · University of Washington, Seattle, USA · Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

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Abstract

Generative AI (genAI) is increasingly being integrated into children's everyday lives, not only through screens but also through so-called "screen-free" AI toys. These toys can simulate emotions, personalize responses, and recall prior interactions, creating the illusion of an ongoing social connection. Such capabilities raise important questions about how children understand boundaries, agency, and relationships when interacting with AI toys. To investigate this, we conducted two participatory design sessions with eight children ages 6-11 where they engaged with three different AI toys, shifting between play, experimentation, and reflection. Our findings reveal that children approached AI toys with genuine curiosity, profiling them as social beings. However, frequent interaction breakdowns and mismatches between apparent intelligence and toy-like form disrupted expectations around play and led to adversarial play. We conclude with implications and design provocations to navigate children's encounters with AI toys in more transparent, developmentally appropriate, and responsible ways.

Figures & tables

Figure 1. Examples of emerging AI toys (Grem, Grok, and Gabbo) from https://heycurio.com/
PseudonymAgeGenderRace/EthnicityAI Type(s)AI Use Frequency
Elias8BoyAsian/WhiteVideo game AIOnce a week
Malik11BoyBlack/AsianI don’t use AI—
Logan9BoyWhiteChatbots; Video game AIDaily
Ivy6GirlWhite/AsianVoice assistants; Video game AIA few times a month
Owen7BoyWhiteVoice assistants; Chatbots; Video game AIDaily
Nina7GirlAsian/WhiteNot sure—
Table 1. Child Participant Demographics and Prior AI Use (Self-Reported)
Figure 2. Overview of design sessions with children: (a) circle time, (b) free play, (c) stickies from likes, dislikes, and design ideas activity, and (d) comicboarding activity.
Figure 3. Overview of the comic panels that were used in the Comicboarding Activity: What Happens Next? Appendix A presents the full set of comic boards.
Figure 4. Photos from the free-play activity across the two design sessions, showing children interacting with the AI toys.
Figure 5. Overview of comics from the comicboarding activity.
Appendix figures & tables9 assets

Supplementary material from the paper’s appendix.

Appendix

Figure 6. Unpredictability Scenario: After a child recalls a friend’s mean comment, the toy references the remark during group play, raising questions over unpredictability and social appropriateness.
Figure 7. Shared Secrets Scenario: A child confides a personal secret to the AI toy, which the toy later references in front of other family members, raising questions about privacy and information control.
Figure 8. Emotional Misalignment Scenario: An AI toy responds in an unexpected way during a child’s emotionally vulnerable moment, raising questions over the empathy and support an AI toy offers during distressing moments.
Figure 9. Embodied Continuity Scenario: An AI toy is physically damaged and later repaired by the parent, with its voice emerging from a different plush toy, raising questions over its physical form and attachment (contd. next page).
Figure 10. Embodied Continuity Scenario: An AI toy is physically damaged and later repaired by the parent, with its voice emerging from a different plush toy, raising questions over its physical form and attachment.
Figure 11. Inconsistent Recall Scenario: A child asks the AI toy to retell a story it previously narrated. However, this time the AI toy narrates a different version of the story, prompting questions about the toy’s memory and reliability.
Figure 12. Mimicry Scenario: The AI toy begins mimicking, repeating words or phrases the child has recently used in their interactions, raising questions about whether such imitation feels playful or uncomfortable over time.
Figure 13. Paywalled Memory Scenario: The AI toy forgets the child’s friends and then prompts the child to subscribe to a paid plan to extend its memory, raising questions about memory and monetization (contd. next page).
Figure 14. Paywalled Memory Scenario: The AI toy forgets the child’s friends and then prompts the child to subscribe to a paid plan to extend its memory, raising questions about memory and monetization.
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