S. 5171: Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026

This bill would require the federal government to study AI-enabled toys and then create a joint plan for improving their safety. It does not directly ban any products or impose immediate rules by itself.

What counts as an AI-enabled toy

The bill defines an AI-enabled toy as a toy with artificial intelligence that can interact back and forth with a user. It also defines a child as someone under 14 years old.

Required study

The bill directs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study AI-enabled toys. The study would look at:

• The risk of harm to children, including physical, mental, emotional, and social harm, at different stages of development;
• Educational effects of using these toys outside school settings;
• How often parents use parental controls on these toys;
• The legal and ethical limits of marketing AI chatbots and AI toys to children;
• Whether evidence of risk is strong enough to justify temporarily suspending sales or marketing of these toys to children;
• What Congress, federal agencies, developers, and manufacturers could do to reduce risks; and
• Any other issue the National Academies considers relevant.

Required joint action plan

Within 2 years after enactment, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) would have to submit a joint action plan to Congress on improving the safety of AI-enabled toys. That plan would need to include recommendations on:

• Possible legislation or agency action;
• Whether companies should have to disclose to consumers when a toy uses AI;
• Possible marketing standards, safety guidelines, independent reviews, or temporary or permanent sales limits for AI-enabled toys, if needed to protect health or safety;
• Consumer and public education efforts about AI-enabled toys.

Practical effect

In plain terms, the bill would start a federal review of the possible safety issues raised by AI-powered toys for children and require agencies to develop recommendations for future rules or safeguards. Any actual restrictions, disclosures, or standards would come later, if Congress or agencies act on the study and action plan.

Relevant Companies

• None found