FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dec. 16, 2025
Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289
Fairplay, the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in a screen-obsessed culture, released the following statement today in response to Mattel’s announcement that it’s delaying the release of the first toy made through its partnership with OpenAI.
Rachel Franz, Director of Fairplay’s Young Children Thrive Offline program, said: “We appreciate that Mattel has heard the concerns of our coalition of experts and advocates and is delaying the release of the first toy from its partnership with OpenAI. Given the threat that AI poses to children’s development, not to mention their safety and privacy, such caution is more than warranted.
“We urge Mattel to make this delay permanent. As Fairplay’s recent, first-of-its kind advisory shows, AI toys are not safe for kids. They disrupt children’s relationships, invade family privacy, displace key learning activities, and more.
“Mattel has an opportunity to be a real leader here — not in the race to the bottom to hook kids on AI — but in putting children’s needs first and scrapping its plans for AI toys altogether.”
Read Fairplay’s AI toys advisory.
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About Fairplay
Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.