# Are "smart" toys such as drones a danger to kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** toys-models\ **Created:** [November 17, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291 "2023-11-17T12:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291/1 "2023-11-17T12:47:11Z")
There have been “scares” about toys that could record or spy on children, such as Furbys. Is this article more of the same unwarranted fears, or is there a legitimate concern here? > **[New report says toys that 'spy' on kids are on the rise](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/new-report-toys-spy-kids-rise/story?id=104940154)** > > A new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund claims smart toys for children pose a growing threat. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291/2 "2023-11-17T17:29:55Z")
Recipe for a Moral Panic Martini: - One part fact - Three parts sensationalism - Dash of Angostura bitters - Shake lightly with ice - Pour into an espresso cup and add a thin slice of lemon Drink slowly while watching your favorite newsreader tell you how ‘they’ are coming for the children. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291/3 "2023-11-17T17:56:29Z")
Nobody gives a shit about your kid to spy on them with a drone. As for other smart toys, I can see them listening in with the goal of tailoring your FB ads toward more stuff the kid wants. (“You” and “your” not directed towards the OP, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291/4 "2023-11-17T18:24:07Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Nobody gives a shit about your kid to spy on them with a drone. Oh, God, my ribs hurt! 🤣 Listen, we already know EVERYTHING about your kids via the huge data bases we use in our school systems. We know their entire families, primary and extended; we know their entire health history, both mental and physical; we know where they have and currently are living and with whom; we know their academic history both standardized and classroom, and their academic strengths and weaknesses, etc, etc, etc. If all of that isn’t enough, we have almost 100 active cameras viewing and recording the entire outside perimeter of our building and all the hallways and public access rooms. Yes, the bathrooms are safe from cameras, but we have micro sensors in the bathrooms that detect smoking/vaping and automatically alert administration as to where and when. Trust me, if your kid scratches his ass anywhere in or around our building, we have a record of it. LOL ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-toys-such-as-drones-a-danger-to-kids/993291/5 "2023-11-17T20:06:48Z")
I think there are a few things going on. Computers with sensors and network connections can be used to spy on people and transmit that information somewhere else. No big surprise about that. Computers with sensors and network connections are incredibly cheap, and so find there way into all kinds of things that people might not expect. Additionally, many games have a social component, and any social situation can be used by bad actors towards their own ends. I also don’t think there is a need to panic, but there is a need to pay attention. _Any_ network connected device should be researched a bit to find out if experts have declared it unsafe, and that research doesn’t just end at the time of purchase. I’m not suggesting everyone setup phone alerts notifying them of every new CVE, but rather just like you might get rid of your eye drops when there’s news of recalls and contamination, update the firmware on your Teddy bear to fix known security flaws. Similarly, pay attention to what your kids are doing online, just like you pay attention to what they’re doing offline. I think the most common danger to kids is on things like tablets where malware can be used to show ads or other unwanted content. These aren’t hypothetical risks, either. Below is a report a few days ago about yet another low end tablet coming out of the box with malware. > **[Low Budget Should Not Mean High Risk: Kids' Tablet Came Preloaded with...](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/11/low-budget-should-not-mean-high-risk-kids-tablet-came-preloaded-sketchyware)** > > It’s easy to get Android devices from online vendors like Amazon at different price points. Unfortunately, it is also easy to end up with an Android device with malware at these lower budgets. There are several factors that contribute to this:...