It has the makings of an American horror story: pretty blue-eyed dolls, innocent children, and the potential for your creepy neighbor to listen in on everything that goes on in your house while you’re blissfully unaware. It’s not a movie though, and child advocates are concerned about the real danger that lies in a new doll called My Friend Cayla.

Making Connections

My Friend Cayla looks as harmless as any other doll, with her cheery smile and trendy tween-style clothes. But she’s nothing like the dolls of a generation or two ago, when the most you could do with dolls and technology was put your Metallica cassette in Teddy Ruxpin and turn him into a thrasher. My Friend Cayla uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the internet, essentially turning her into Siri for kids. She also remembers things about your child, so they can have real conversations:

“You can add facts about you that Cayla can remember and talk about!”

My Friend Cayla’s website explains that Cayla can:

“Talk and interact with you, play games, read stories, share photos… When online, she can answer almost any question. Offline, she can answer thousands of questions about herself.”

A Creepy BFF

My Friend Cayla adds a whole new level of interaction to traditional doll play. However, Cayla’s internet connection via Bluetooth raises serious concerns for some child advocates. Josh Golin is executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. He’s worried that the doll is being used to market to children, essentially acting as an advertisement that children can play with:

For instance, Cayla talks a lot about Disney products and going to Disneyland, so there’s a real possibility for product placement to occur within the doll itself.”

Golin says an even bigger concern is that the doll’s Bluetooth connection isn’t secure, and anyone could potentially “hack in”:

“Obviously, the idea of a stranger being able to talk to your child while they’re in their bedroom playing with their doll is beyond creepy.”

Safety In A Digital Age

Kathryn Montgomery, Professor of Communication at American University, explains that as kids grow up in an increasingly tech-based world, it’s essential to protect them from potential dangers.

“Children today are growing up immersed in a digital world, where mobile devices, games, apps, and now a new generation of Internet-toys are profoundly shaping their social interactions, personal experiences, and behaviors… Regulators need to ensure that children will be able to reap the benefits of these digital technologies without being subjected to harmful practices that undermine their privacy, safety, and wellbeing.”

Grolin adds:

“Children form friendships with dolls and toys with ‘personalities,’ and confide intimate details about their lives with them… It is critical that the sensitive data collected by these toys be subject to the most stringent protections and not be used for manipulative and sneaky marketing.”

Experts agree that doll play is an important part of child development, and that some digital entertainment can be beneficial. Dolls like My Friend Cayla make us wonder if combining the two is creepy, or just a sign of the times. The answer remains to be seen.

 Featured Image via screenshot from YouTube video