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

2026-04-02

AI Summary

This study investigates how children aged 6 to 11 conceptualize the boundaries, agency, and social attributes of screenless generative AI toys. Through two rounds of participatory design workshops integrating play, experimentation, and reflection, the researchers observed interactions between eight children and three embodied AI prototypes. Findings indicate that children tend to perceive AI toys as social agents and actively engage in “profiling” them; inconsistencies in interaction or mismatches in perceived intelligence often trigger adversarial play. Although children exhibit genuine curiosity toward AI, unmet expectations frequently lead to frustration. The work proposes a novel developmental framework for designing AI toys, offering critical insights for creating transparent, age-appropriate, and ethically responsible child–AI interaction systems.

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.

Problem

• children
• AI toys
• sensemaking
• human-AI interaction
• generative AI

Innovation

• generative AI
• AI toys
• children's sensemaking
• participatory design
• adversarial play