3 Toys NOT to Buy Your Kids This Holiday Season

3 Toys NOT to Buy Your Kids This Holiday Season

Connected toys may excite kids, but parents need to be wary.

As we approach Black Friday and the kick-off to the holiday gift-buying season writ large, kids are asking for the newest, coolest toys – most of which are now Wi-Fi enabled and/or partnered with an app. Connected toys may excite kids, but parents need to be wary. Toys with cameras or microphones can potentially be hacked, and any device or app that requires you to make an account also poses security risks. Mozilla this year put together a “Privacy Not Included” guide across a wide variety of gifts. Here are three of their top offenders based on security and privacy criteria and risks.

  • Hello Barbie: This Barbie, which can have a two-way conversation with children and has progressive learning features, made headlines two years ago for security issues. The toy listened to and recorded children, sent that collected data to live on the company’s server, the data was shared with third parties, and the Wi-Fi and app could easily be hacked, potentially letting strangers listen to your children. This year, Hello Barbie has received updates to privacy and data storage but still has a microphone and requires you to make an account. It could still potentially record and say weird things to children.
  • Toymail Talkie: Toymail Talkie is essentially a walkie-talkie disguised as a plush. It has a Wi-Fi enabled box that parents can set up to let their children talk to approved family and friends using the app. The toy includes both a camera and a microphone, and the app requires you to make an account. Potentially, hackers could talk to or leave messages for your children.
  • Adidas miCoach Smart Soccer Ball: This soccer ball connects to an app to give feedback on power, spin, strike and trajectory to help develop and improve skills. The ball has a camera and microphone and can track your location, while the app requires you to create an account but doesn’t have privacy controls. The toy does collect some data on you but you are able to contact the company to see what data it has collected and amend, block or delete information.

As technology evolves and toys get “smarter,” here are four ways to keep your children’s play safe:

  • Change default passwords on connected items right away, and give each toy a unique password.
  • Check for software updates as soon as you open a toy and stay current on updates.
  • Research security issues before you buy your toys, and read the privacy policies provided by manufacturers so you know exactly what data your toys are collecting from your children.
  • Make sure your home’s internet is secure.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities