Brazilian government flags AI toys for privacy and emotional risks to children
The Brazilian Ministry of Justice's Digital Rights Secretariat flagged AI-equipped toys sold in the country as posing privacy and emotional manipulation risks to children. The assessment analyzed six popular models and found they collect voice, facial and environmental data while using AI to create personalized interactions that may foster emotional dependence.
What happened
A technical note released in July 2026 by the Secretaria Nacional de Direitos Digitais, part of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, evaluated six AI-equipped toys sold on major Brazilian marketplaces: Loona, EMO, Miko 3, Aibi, Amazon Fire HD Kids Pro, and Vector.
The assessment identified concerns involving devices capable of recording voice, images, and environmental information, and creating personalized interactions with children through artificial intelligence systems that adapt based on child behavior.
Reported impact
The ministry warned that the AI toys could create emotional dependency bonds with children, foster behavioral manipulation, and enable continuous collection of personal data including voice, facial biometrics, and domestic environment information without clear parental understanding of how data is treated.
The technical note cautioned that behavioral profiles of children and their families could be created through this monitoring, and cited the example of the doll My Friend Cayla, which was banned in Germany after authorities determined it could record conversations accessible to third parties.
Index analysis
The evaluation examined the toys' use of artificial intelligence for conversation, learning from interactions, capturing information through cameras and microphones, and in some cases accessing the internet to personalize user experience.
Governance controls
The Secretaria Nacional de Direitos Digitais recommended that the Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon) and the Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD) investigate whether manufacturers and sales platforms comply with child protection requirements, focusing on transparency, security, and data treatment.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.