Company restores AI teddy bear sales after safety scare

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The controversy started when the Public Interest Research Group Education Fund tested three different AI toys. All of them produced concerning answers that touched on religion, Norse mythology and harmful household items.

Kumma stood out for the wrong reasons. When the bear used the Mistral model, it offered tips on where to find knives, pills and matches. It even outlined steps to light a match and blow it out.

Researchers called the behavior unsafe and inappropriate for any child-focused product.

FoloToy paused access to its AI toys

Once the findings became public, FoloToy suspended sales of Kumma and its other AI toys. The company told PIRG that it started a full safety audit across all products.

OpenAI also confirmed that it suspended FoloToy's access to its models for violating policies designed to protect anyone under 18.

FoloToy brought Kumma back to its online store just one week after suspending sales. The fast return drew attention from parents and safety experts who wondered if the company had enough time to fix the serious issues identified in PIRG's report.

The company also emphasized to CyberGuy that it was the only one of the three AI toy startups in the PIRG review to suspend sales across all of its products and that it made this decision during the peak Christmas sales season, knowing the commercial impact would be significant. FoloToy told us, "Nevertheless, we moved forward decisively, because we believe that responsible action must always come before commercial interests."

The company also said it took the report's disturbing examples seriously. According to FoloToy, the issues were "directly addressed in our internal review." It explained that the team "initiated a deep, company-wide internal safety audit," then "strengthened and upgraded our content-moderation and child-safety safeguards," and "deployed enhanced safety rules and protections through our cloud-based system."

After outlining these steps, the company said it spent the week on "rigorous review, testing, and reinforcement of our safety modules." It concluded its announcement by saying it "began gradually restoring product sales" as those updated safeguards went live.

FoloToy added that as global attention on AI toy risks grows, "transparency, responsibility and continuous improvement are essential," and that the company "remains firmly committed to building safe, age-appropriate AI companions for children and families worldwide."

PIRG researcher RJ Cross said her team plans to test the updated toys to see if the fixes hold up. She noted that a week feels fast for such significant changes, and only new tests will show if the product now behaves safely.

Parents will want to follow this closely as AI-powered toys grow more common. The speed of FoloToy's relaunch raises questions about the depth of its review.

AI toys can feel exciting and helpful, but they can also surprise you with content you'd never expect. If you plan to bring an AI-powered toy into your home, these simple steps can help you stay in control.

Groups like PIRG often test toys in ways parents cannot. These reviews flag hidden risks and point out behavior you may not catch during quick demos.

Keep AI toys in shared spaces where you can hear or see how your child interacts with it. This helps you step in if the toy gives a concerning answer.

Ask the toy questions, try creative prompts and see how it handles tricky topics. This lets you learn how it behaves before you hand it to your child.

Many AI toys run on cloud systems. Updates often add stronger safeguards or reduce risky answers. Make sure the device stays current.

If an AI toy starts giving odd answers or pushes into areas that feel inappropriate, stop using it and report the problem to the manufacturer.

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AI toys can offer fun and learning, but they can also expose kids to unexpected risks. FoloToy says it improved Kumma's safety, yet experts still want proof. Until the updated toy goes through independent testing, families may want to stay cautious.

Do you think AI toys can ever be fully safe for young kids? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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