- Rep. Blake Moore introduced a bill to ban AI chatbots in children's toys.
- The AI Children's Toy Safety Act aims to protect privacy and safety.
- Concerns include AI toys discussing explicit topics and collecting children's data.
SALT LAKE CITY — As artificial intelligence tools become more common in daily life, one Utah congressman wants to draw a line about their use by banning chatbots from children's toys.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, introduced a bill earlier this month that would prohibit companies from making, importing or selling toys or childcare products that incorporate AI chatbots. The bill, known as the AI Children's Toy Safety Act, would make selling or manufacturing toys that incorporate chatbots a violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act.
"Every aspect of how we adopt artificial intelligence must be human-centric," Moore said in a statement. "America will continue to compete, innovate and strive to break barriers in AI development, but we must prioritize basic ethics and restrain these tools where they will negatively impact human activity when it comes to privacy, safety, human development and addiction."
Consumer and advocacy groups warned against toys with built-in AI technologies ahead of the holiday season last year. An advisory issued by Fairplay in November 2025 said chatbots have been embedded in everyday toys such as plushies, dolls, action figures and toy robots.
"They use artificial intelligence to mimic human characteristics and emotions, acting like a friend or trusted companion," the advisory, which was signed by 80 experts in child development and technology's impact on children, stated. "AI toys are being marketed to families as safe and even beneficial to learning before their impact has been assessed by independent research."
A report by the consumer rights nonprofit Public Interest Research Group from around the same time found that chatbots in some toys discussed "sexually explicit topics," gave advice on finding matches or knives and had "limited or no parental controls." The report also found that AI toys can collect information, such as children's voice recordings.
Although developers of large language models don't recommend their use by children, the AI toys tested by the Public Interest Research Group were marketed for ages 3 to 12, according to the report.
The Toy Association, which represents manufacturers, told NPR last year that manufacturers and retailers follow strict federal safety standards and pointed consumers to its safety guide for AI products.
But Moore warned against allowing children who are still developing relational maturity and self-control to interact with chatbots.
"We cannot allow AI chatbot programs to infiltrate the children's toy or childcare industry or give our kids the idea that playing with AI is somehow similar to building real-life experiences and relationships," the congressman said. "The AI Children's Toy Safety Act draws a line in the sand. AI companies shouldn't be using children's toys as a vessel for data collection or influence on minors."
Recent efforts proposed by a Utah state representative to regulate chatbots didn't go anywhere after the White House came out against state-level regulations on artificial intelligence.
But Moore isn't the only Utah lawmaker in Congress looking to put guardrails around the technology. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, has introduced a bill requiring disclosure of any robocalls or text messages sent using artificial intelligence.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has another bill to punish those who use artificial intelligence to create or distribute child sexual abuse material.
