COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - 11 News lead Call For Action investigator Katie Pelton pens a weekly column for our news partner The Gazette. Previous columns can be found here.
If you are thinking about purchasing an interactive toy for your child or grandchild this Christmas, you may want to hear this alert. Smart toys that can talk and interact are becoming more and more popular. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a consumer notice in 2017 saying that internet-connected toys can present privacy concerns for children. The national nonprofit group, Call for Action, echoes that same sentiment.
“A young child is going to be talking to a toy that’s going to remember what they’re saying, it’s going to be recording it,” said Shirley Rooker, president of Call for Action. “Often times, these toys have cameras, there are microphones, they have the ability to grow a vocabulary based on your child’s use.”
Rooker told me that there have been instances of toys being hacked. Sometimes, the child’s information is stolen and they could become the victim of identity theft.
“Be wary, if you hear something on the other end talking like an adult voice to your child,” Rooker said. “There could be somebody hacked on there. It’s extremely creepy, but it does happen so you need to be aware of this.”
The FBI has some recommendations before using an interactive toy. First, consumers should research the toy and the manufacturer. Read the disclosures and privacy policies before using the toy. It should only be connected through secure Wi-Fi internet connections. Monitor your child’s conversations with the interactive toy and make sure they are turned off when not in use. You can report any complaints to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at
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December 09, 2019 at 09:17PM
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Voice of the consumer: Toys can be too smart, FBI warns - KKTV 11 News
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